Kenny Coates, 31, was drifting off to sleep at 10.45pm on Saturday night when he was alerted to the burglary via the alarm system on his phone
Operations Manager Kenneth Coates and Store manager Phil Clark of Green Fingers Garden Centre in South Shields(Image: Chronicle Live)
The owner of a garden centre in South Shields has been left ‘devastated’ after a break-in which saw around £500 of staff tips stolen. Kenny Coates, 31, was drifting off to sleep at 10.45pm on Saturday night when he was alerted to the burglary via the alarm system on his phone.
He rushed around to Green Fingers Garden Centre and got there within minutes, as did officers from Northumbria Police, but as officers arrived, the perpetrator was able to escape from a back exit, smashing two windows in the process.
However, it is the emotional impact which is impacting Kenny the most. He saida: “This has definitely given everyone here some anxiety. It is a family business between me and my dad, and other family members also work here.
“My biggest gripe with all this is that our cash, of which a small amount was stolen, is insurable, but the tips aren’t, so we are trying to raise as much as we can to try and make sure people are still able to make the most of their Christmas with the tips they were going to get.
“Everyone is feeling the impact of this, with managers not feeling fully comfortable being in the building on their own, which I completely understand. We serve the local community so it has certainly taken me be surprise that someone could be so callous in stealing what has been hard earned.
“We have a really nice group of local customers who can give huge tips to our staff, with many budgeting around the tips because they know how generous our patrons are. At this time of the year, this is all the more important, with people using their tips to buy presents and other things to enjoy the festive period”.
Green Fingers garden centre in South Shields(Image: Simon Greener/Newcastle Chronicle)
Thankfully for Kenny and his staff, the generous customer base have been donating to an online GoFundMe page setup by the garden centre owner, to help pay the staff the extra money that they deserve, which has already reached its £500 target.
Kenny added: “We have been going for three years, and I think the biggest example of the success we have had so far is how amazing our customers are. They have been donating to the GoFundMe and the amount raised so far is incredible.
Green Fingers Garden Centre in South Shields, which had its staff tips stolen in a break-in(Image: Chronicle Live)
“This is great to see, as they are helping a hub for the community keep its promised to the staff that work so hard to serve them. We are incredibly grateful for anyone who has donated and would like to donate further, it means so much to all of us”.
If you have read this story and would like to make a donation to the GoFundMe page in aid of the staff at Green Fingers Garden Centre, you can do so on the website here.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “At about 10.40pm on Saturday, December 13, we received a report of burglary at a premises on Western Approach in the South Shields area. Emergency services attended but the suspect had fled the scene prior to police arrival.
“Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to get in touch by sending us a direct message on social media, or by using the live chat or ‘report’ form function on our website. Those who can’t contact us online, should call 101.
“Please quote reference number: NP-20251213-1142.”
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