A football club in Cornwall has been 'blown away' by the community's fundraising efforts after vandals broke into the ground and trashed the place.
Redruth United had set up a fundraiser after discovering that vandals who had gained access to the ground and set up camp there.
Once they had gone, the club discovered the trail of destruction that had been left behind after them.
After learning of the news, club support Penny Pellow set up a fundraiser with the intention of raising £1,000 for the club, however, this has now reached in excess of £10,000.
Redruth United told The Packet: "5 or 6 vehicles broke into Clijah Croft last week, forcing entry by taking an angle grinder to our gate a local reported.
"After a few days, more and more arrived at Clijah Croft, bringing with them motorbikes, large machinery and vehicles.
"The council were proactive with serving a section 77, to order the group to leave the site.
"They left a trail of destruction before leaving causing grief and anguish among the community."
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The club posted a video of the destruction to their social media, which you can watch below.
"Everything is either damaged, stolen or sodden as the whole building was flooded after 4 of the 6 water containers were smashed.
"From the defibrillator to kids football goals to our tea-lady Jenny's tea hut.
"We're left with nothing.
"The community has rallied, not just locally but nationally and in some cases internationally.
"Tradespeople have offered services free of charge, cafes have offered food and equipment and the local community have offered a helping hand to support on site.
"We set up a fundraiser which at the time of writing has raised £8600, and a local has raised a further £2000.
"We are blown away with the generosity of everyone who has donated and we cannot thank you enough.
"When we discovered the devastation, we thought our club was gone.
"From teams at Under 6 level all the way through to veterans football, there was a moment where we didn't think we could continue.
"The community soon huddled around and now are dreams and hopes are becoming reality in our plans to rebuild Clijah Croft."
If you would like to donate to the Redruth United fundraiser, you can find it at: tinyurl.com/j8mzv8tc
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