Rumbles Cafe in Sconce and Devon Park, Newark thankful for community after break in investigated by Nottinghamshire Police

A cafe is thankful for the support of the community following a break-in.

On the morning of Saturday, November 25, volunteers at the Rumbles Cafe in Sconce and Devon park came into work to find shattered glass covering the floor.

The night before, a window to the rear of the cafe had been smashed to gain entry to the building.

Luckily the thieves only managed to steal the contents of the tip jar and food from counter top displays, but the damage caused had the most impact.

The cafe, which is also a charity providing opportunities for people dealing with mental health or learning difficulties, was forced to close on Saturday as volunteers worked to make it safe.

A volunteer with the cafe, said: “We spent the Saturday clearing everything up and even had to throw away some equipment in the kitchen because it was just covered in glass and wouldn’t have been safe to keep.

“All they really took was the chocolate off the counter, a few sausage rolls and our tip jar — it just feels pointless what they did.

“Although the cost of what was taken wasn’t a lot, the price of replacing equipment, the window and a lost day of trade on one of our busiest days wasn’t needed.

“Usually on a Saturday we have the park run, walking groups and families out enjoying the park as well as our regulars, but we missed out on that.”

This isn’t the first time the cafe has been targeted, after they were broken into a few years ago during the covid pandemic.

On that occasion, the break in was much worse for the charity as the thieves were able to access their safe.

The cafe was able to re-open to customers on Sunday after boarding up the broken window.

“To steal from a charity is disgusting really, especially in the run up to Christmas,” said the volunteer.

“Thankfully we are place where people come together, a lot of people who didn’t know each other before end up meeting here.

“It’s a real community and everyone knows each other — it’s like a family.”

Rumbles rent the space from Newark and Sherwood District Council, who are assisting the charity.

Nottinghamshire Police are still investigating the burglary, which is believed to have taken place some time between 4.30pm on Friday, November 24 and 8am on Saturday, November 25.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the police quoting incident 0146_25/11/2023, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.