A SMALL community whose social club was burgled on Sunday morning has rallied to raise the stolen cash.

Following a 70th birthday party at Breage Snooker and Social Club on Saturday night, raiders broke in using an angle grinder and took the contents of the till, as well as a small amount of tobacco.

Teresa Babbage, who is one of the volunteers who runs the club, said: “I’m very upset with it all, we work so hard to keep it going and it is an important part of the village.”

But a Facebook group set up on Tuesday by Roxe Neville to replace the missing money has had a great response, prompting her to post: “How fantastic are you all! Well done and a huge thank you for every bit of help for the club!

“When I set this up I thought the £200 mark would have been a stretch, but it just shows you, how supportive and lovely us humans are (excusing the horrible thieves from that for sure though! Awful person/people!)

On Thursday the total raised had already reached £590 and was set to keep increasing.

The club is expected to remain closed well into next week as a new security system will need to be implemented.

The intruders smashed three doors and used an angle grinder to break open a gate. They then deactivated the alarm, before taking off the top of the safe with the grinder.

Teresa said that the offenders are likely to know the area because they came across a field at the back of the club, from the direction of Porthleven.

She added that the grass had been flattened which indicated they had walked across it.

The club is popular with the locals, with snooker, darts and pool regularly played, as well as social events.

Just three months ago, following the death of Teresa’s brother Martin, 50, a fundraising evening made hundreds of pounds for Sarcoma UK, the charity which supports the cancer from which he suffered.

The incident happened between 1.30am and noon on Sunday and police are appealing for witnesses and asking anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious to contact them via 101@dc.police.uk or by phone on 101 quoting crime reference CR/055500/19.