A STONEMASON has donated equipment to a volunteer project which lost £10,000 worth of goods in an arson attack.

Volunteers have worked for more than ten years to restore the woodland and gardens around Gisborough Priory.

But on Monday, February 10, arsonists set a fire underneath the project’s metal storage unit, which destroyed the wooden floor and all the contents, causing damage worth £10,000.

Now Darlington stonemason David France has donated replacement wheelbarrows, garden tools including spades, forks, a rake, a hoe, and health and safety equipment.

Gisborough Priory Project board member Jenny Thomas said that all its fundraising paperwork, garden tools, signs, information boards, wheelbarrows, gazebos, marquees, catering equipment and much more had been lost.

But she said: “People have been very kind and we are very grateful for the donations we have received.”

She praised the kindness of visitors to the woodland, who she said had been donating more money over the weekend. The annual Snowdrop walk was held today (Sunday, February 23) and proceeds from this year’s fundraising will go towards replacing lost goods.

Cleveland Police are treating the attack as arson and anyone with information can contact PC Carl Drinkel by calling 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800-555111.

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