Hucknall woman sickened after thief steals £150 top prize in raffle to help terminally ill friend

Kim Beard, aged 54, now lives in Hucknall, but is originally from Bulwell.

She and a group of friends who all grew up there together and went to Alderman Derbyshire School there together, decided to hold the event to raise funds for one of their group, Paula State, was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

To help support Paula and her family, Kim started up a crowdfunding page on JustGiving and also organised a fund-raising event at the Top House pub in Bulwell.

The event was packed with people and more than £3,000 was raised on the day.

However, the day was spoiled whan a man stole the top prize in the raffle – a £150 air fryer.

Kim said: “People donated so many things for the raffle and tombola and a car boot as well and this scumbag of a person who wasn’t even at the event, apparently walked into the car park, looked around, went largely unnoticed because it was so, so busy – she was very well known in Bulwell – and stole the air fryer raffle prize.

“It was underneath the raffle table and not for one minute did I think anything would happen to it.

“The next thing I knew, my daughter was asking if someone had bought the air fryer.

“I said no and asked why and she said ‘that man’s just run off with it down there’.”

“We tried to get after him, got in cars to get down the road faster and funnily enough we were able to stop a police car and the policeman was an old school friend as well so he knew her really well.

“He was able to raise the alarm and the police were able to see CCTV but this man was not to be seen.

“It just broke my heart that this happened, I just can’t believe someone could sink so low as to do this at an event like this.”

Your Dispatch has contacted the police for comment.

Anyone with any information about the theft can call the police on 101.

To donate to Paula’s fund through the JustGiving page, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/kim-beard-118