Tools worth thousands of pounds were stolen during a break-in at a volunteer-run orchard in the Fens, but the team say they are "not letting a few bad apples spoil our positive work".
Police were called to Fenland Orchards Project in Wisbech at around 10.40am on Saturday December 28 to reports of a burglary, which was believed to have happened overnight.
A number of tools were stolen including a DeWalt strimmer, radio, and drill with their batteries, and a trailer.
Some of the items had been donated to the orchard, and one item belonged to a volunteer.
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Andrew Callaghan, community development worker at Fenland Orchards Project, said: "The break-in means that a lot of the volunteers can't maintain the orchard as well as we used to, especially with the loss of the ride-on mower and heavy-duty strimmer."
While he added that, with spring coming up, it has impacted what the group had planned, "we're not letting a few bad apples spoil what is and continues to be a positive project".
Since the break-in, he said the team has been "overwhelmed with the support we have received on social media", adding that they have received many donations towards their fundraising page.
"We're looking forward and not back," he added.
The orchard's next project - for which they are collaborating with the Royal British Legion, Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridgeshire Skills - is a commemorative garden to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
He said: "Lots of positives have come out of it, and it has raised the profile of the orchard.
"These things happen and you just have to move forward.
"We are going to crack on with the projects and get them done, which will benefit the people in and around Wisbech."
An investigation into the orchard break-in is underway and anyone with information should contact police by calling 101 or via the Norfolk Police website quoting crime reference number 36/91790/24.
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