Charity 'devastated' by vandalism at therapy centre

A national charity based in Somerset has spoken of its devastation after it was targeted by vandals.

Brainwave, which supports children with disabilities, shared photographs on social media of its therapy building in Bridgwater doused in paint.

The charity said the damage has created a dangerous environment for its service users.

Chief executive Keith Sinclair described the incident as "senseless" and said it will have to be cleared up using "scarce" funding.

Mr Sinclair said the vandals accessed the centre's paint store and threw the paint over the building, car park and a vehicle.

He said some fluorescent light bulbs were also smashed on the floor, leaving shards of glass behind.

"To get that up and to make it safe for our people and the people we support has taken a significant amount of time," he said.

"We've had some lovely feedback from people we support, offering their support in any way they can."

He added: "As a charity it's tricky enough for us as it is, in terms of the financial situation and the increase in National Insurance contribution costs for us... so to then have to put scarce resources into clearing up something that somebody's done, which in my view is senseless, is very difficult for us to understand."

The centre will remain open for its users while the clean-up takes place and Mr Sinclair praised his team for their work on the affected area.

Avon and Somerset Police said it was aware of the incident, and it would be looking at CCTV footage as part of its investigation.

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