Honesty box taken from community facility near Dorchester

Future Roots at Whitfield runs a range of community projects including for older people and youngsters at the former NHS site.

To help the not for profit organisation boost funds in a small way, it had been putting plants and other items from its Countrymen's Club and group for youngsters with learning disabilities at the entrance to the site for people to purchase in exchange for a donation, which were placed in an honesty box.

Julie MacDougall from Future Roots said she was shocked to discover one morning that somebody had ripped the box off the trolley it was on and taken the money from it.

She said there was probably hardly any money in the box, so she had not reported it to police, but she was saddened that anybody could take it from an organisation like Future Roots and also said she wanted to make it clear to people that there was no money kept on the site.

Mrs MacDougall said: "We really wanted to make it clear to people that we don't keep any money on site and we do rely on the generosity of the general public to keep the project going.

"What we earn from the honesty box and plant sales gets ploughed back into our equipment and things to keep us going.

"It's just a bit disappointing that somebody felt the need to take that."

The honesty box was taken sometime on the night of Thursday, June 25 and Mrs MacDougall said it was not loss of the money, which would only have been a few pounds at most, that was upsetting but the fact that someone had taken from an organisation that was trying to do some good in the community.

Future Roots opened was officially opened in August last year and offers a range of projects for all ages including a Countrymen's Club for over 60s and initiatives for youngsters and those with learning disabilities.

The latest project launched at the site was the Dorchester Men's Shed project, which offers men and women to come together to work on projects with wood.

For more information visit futureroots.net