A STORAGE company has come to the aid of a charity which was left distraught after one of its vehicles was badly damaged by vandals.

In August, one of the vans owned by Northallerton-based Herriot Hospice Homecare was stripped of its bonnet and side panels by heartless thieves.

But when storage company My Lock Up heard about the theft, it offered to store, free of charge, all the charity’s vehicles in its secure facility on the County Business Park, Northallerton.

The company’s operations manager Steve Wise said: “Like everyone I was disgusted that someone could steal from a charity which does so much good in the community.

“I immediately contacted Kevin Doyle, the owner of My Lock Up, and we agreed it would be good to help Herriot by inviting them to store their vehicles at our facility.

“We have issued electronic key fobs to the staff who drive the cars so it means they can get in and out of the facility which is surrounded by security fencing and CCTV.”

The charity’s retail manager, Deborah Horton, said: “The van was used to pick up and transport furniture and electrical goods for our warehouse sale room so it was very important to us.

“After this happened we were concerned the other vehicles we use, including those used by staff and volunteers to visit people with terminal illnesses, could also be targeted.

“This means we have peace of mind knowing the vehicles are secure, so we would like to thank Steve, Kevin and the rest of the team at My Lock Up for their generosity and support.”