A COMMUNITY group in Flintshire is making a desperate appeal for the return of its Christmas float, which was stolen by heartless thieves.

The Rotary Club of Mold uses the colourful Santa’s House float to visit the villages around Mold and give local children the chance to meet Father Christmas.

The float is also used to collect donations which are distributed to local charities.

Thieves stole the float and its trailer from a locked car park in Mold.

“It is very sad that callous and selfish people should be so heartless as to steal our means of bringing hope and help to many local people,” said Mark Philpot, vice-president of Mold Rotary Club.

“The trailer was loaned to us, the storage facilities are given free, and that means that we can help those in need locally much more.

“Santa’s House is a feature which is eagerly anticipated each year by the children and they love to see Father Christmas walking down their road.

“The club has collected for local good causes for many years and this year we were delighted to have collected over £2,750 from which several local charities will benefit.

"Much of this has come from children’s own pennies and we feel very sad that we may not have this special focal point for our collections next year.”

The float was stored in a locked car park after Christmas, but heavy snowfall meant it could not be moved to storage. When businesses reopened after Christmas it had been towed away.

Police believe the float may have been heading for Leeswood after it was taken.
Leeswood councillor Raymond Hughes said: “I used to take my grandchildren to see the Christmas float when it came to Leeswood village and they had a great time.”

Anybody who may have seen the trailer between the Mold industrial estates and Leeswood is asked to call the police.