A FUNDRAISER is warning other charities to be vigilant after money made during a market sale was stolen from under her nose.

Jenny Jackson, secretary of 3rd Christchurch Jumpers Scouts, was among several volunteers manning a stall at Christchurch market on Saturday morning to raise money for the group.

But as they were packing up to leave, Jenny noticed the takings had gone missing.

She said: “We started packing up about 11am and we had taken between £150 and £200, including a £50 float.

“We turned round and someone had whipped it away.

“We want to warn other charities that are going to be doing the same sort of thing to really be aware, because we would hate for that to happen to anyone else.”

The group had a stall under the arches in Saxon Square, a pitch often used by charities, and the money raised from the sale was to go into the Scouts’ funds and used for camps and new equipment for the boys.

Jenny added: “We do about three or four of these sales a year and they’re important to the group.

“Like every charity that does it down there, we need the money.

“I was absolutely gobsmacked that someone had done that to a charity.

“It’s not just us, it’s people that have donated to you.

“We had one or two nice people that didn’t buy anything but gave us some money, so it’s a knock-on effect.”

Police are now checking CCTV cameras to see if they can spot the culprit, but Jenny does not hold out much hope of getting the money back.

She said: “We just want other people to know that there are people out there that are doing this sort of thing because they’ve got no scruples.

“I just felt sick after it.

“We don’t want someone else to go through that feeling.”