'Brilliant' response after Easter egg theft

Easter eggs meant for sick children that were stolen from a supermarket have been replaced, the organiser of the collection has said.

Thirty chocolate eggs destined for the Disney Ward at Scunthorpe General Hospital were taken from Tesco in Boothferry Road, Goole, East Yorkshire, on 16 March.

Mark Skinn, from Goole Vikings Supporters Club, which organised the collection, praised the community's "brilliant" response to the theft.

He said 673 eggs, which far surpassed the amount taken, had been shared between children's wards at Scunthorpe General Hospital, Hull Royal Infirmary and Doncaster Royal Infirmary, as well as youth groups.

After posting about the theft on social media, Skinn said his Facebook page "lit up" with offers to replace the chocolate treats.

It was "absolutely unbelievable", he said.

"Community spirit went through the roof. It was brilliant."

Skinn said £1,180 had also been raised for a children's unit at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, East Yorkshire.

As well as dropping eggs off at the hospitals, Skinn said the group had donated some to The Moorlands Youth and Community Centre and Home-Start, both in Goole, and children at a rugby and football camp.

"A lot of people have benefited from a really horrible act and it just shows, when the community comes together, what you can achieve," said Skinn.

"We can't thank people enough for everything that they've done, especially after the theft.

"Taking a positive from a negative is what I like to say, and it's just done no end of good."

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