Staff 'sickened' by hospice theft

Staff at the hospice are sickened by the theft

Police are investigating the theft of £5,000 worth of roof slates from the site of the new Children's Hospice on the outskirts of north Belfast.

The slates stacked on pallets were stolen from the building site off O'Neill Road overlooking the M2 near Belfast.

The new build project has been relying on voluntary contributions and fundraising events.

Spokesperson Kate Atkinson said the hospice staff were sickened that people would want to steal from such a unit.

"£5,000 is alot of money and our supporters are out ther working very hard to raise this money.

"It really is so unfair on them that someone would go on site and steal from a children's hospice."

A study earlier this year found that 860 children in the province have a life-threatening or life-limiting condition, such as cystic fibrosis or muscular dystrophy.

Research

This is nearly twice the average number throughout the UK.

This compared to a previous estimation of 500, based on the UK average of one in 1,000 children.

The research was carried out to establish whether there was sufficient demand for a children's hospice service.