“Heartbroken” father of three fundraising for war heroes, with over 200,000 lights on his home, has money stolen

18 December 2024, 07:29 | Updated: 18 December 2024, 10:20

By Henry Riley

@HenryRiley1

Rich Iles from Winterbourne Down was raising money for the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, when his money box was stolen from outside of the family home.

A father of three who donned his family home with over 200,000 Christmas lights for charity has had his funds stolen.

The display at his house in Winterbourne Down near Bristol has been on display to locals since the start of this month. Costing thousands of pounds, the over-200,000 lights were put up to raise funds for the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans. The display is supported by local businesses.

Rich Iles, who is a plumber in his day job, said that his family have put on similar displays for the last 7 years “we love to see people enjoying themselves and smiling”, and said that he wanted to support the charity because of their “brilliant work”.

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He told LBC “they are such a nice bunch of people who do great work. This is the 80th anniversary of D Day and the work the charity do is brilliant, so it felt like the perfect time to do it”.

But when Rich went to visit relatives nearby Sunday evening, alongside his wife Gabriella, with children Rafferty, 5, Clarice, 12, and Olivia, 16, the family were shocked to discover that someone had stolen the donations bucket from the South Gloucestershire village.

He told LBC that he initially thought someone had hidden the box as a joke or a windup, but when the family learned it had been stolen his children were “really upset by it all”.

Since the incident, Rich says his family have been “overwhelmed by the response from friends, family, social media and businesses”.

Claire Hazelgrove, Labour MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke told LBC: “Like the rest of our community, I was truly shocked to hear this. The Iles family do a brilliant job raising funds for the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, and bringing people together from all over our area at this time of year as their fantastic display is widely enjoyed.

"I’d urge anyone who has any information to please contact the police.”

The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was formed in Fulham in 1948 and helps to support veterans and their families with days out to concerns and museums, whilst also offering international trips to Holland, Belgium and France. The charity is reliant on donations and the London taxi drivers who volunteer their time.

You can donate to Rich Iles' JustGiving page, in aid of the The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/richard-iles-1731781346558?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL