Cadets minibus stolen in Gainsborough
Anyone with information on the theft is asked to contact the police
Pic: The stolen mini bus
Submitted by Charles Skiera
A minibus owned by the 203 Gainsborough Squadron has been stolen.
Cadets and staff of the local squadron have been left without transport following the crime.
The Drill Hall premises, located on Ropery Road, Gainsborough is home to the town’s Royal Air Force Air Cadet’s unit, serving 12–20-year-olds in the local area.
The external premises was broken into with the gates being forced open and damaged, leading to the squadron’s minibus being stolen.
Whilst the Air Cadets are partly funded by the RAF, things like the minibus are bought by the unit, largely through fundraising and charitable activities.
The vehicle, which is used to transport cadets and staff to various activities locally and even nationally is a critical asset to ensure the cadets get the most out of their experience with the RAF Air Cadets.
The Ford Transit minibus is plain white, a long wheelbase version with a distinctive black gloss grill area on the front. It is currently unknown what time it was stolen from the premises; however, it would be between 5pm on Feb 9 and 8am on Feb 10.
Flt Lt Lee Chapman, Officer Commanding 203 Gainsborough Squadron said: "It is a major blow to the unit and naturally to the cadets. At a time when we are recovering from Covid 19 and getting back to normality, this will have an additional impact.
"Why anyone would steal from an organisation that does so much to promote the values of citizenship and is there to develop our future generations is beyond me."
If anyone has any information or has saw anything, please contact Lincolnshire Police on 101 and quote Incident number 65 of the 10th February, or anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
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