FOR the second time in two weeks a knitted Christmas scene has been stolen from a charity shop.

As previously reported in The Gazette, the Good Samaritans and Odiham Cottage Charity Shop had its festive scene stolen.

Now, three months’ hard work by Sherborne St John Parish clerk, Penny Mayo has been taken from the window of the Sue Ryder shop in Chineham.

Mrs Mayo said: “I just couldn’t believe it, these people must have bent minds and just want to ruin other people’s Christmases.”

The 68-year-old, who also volunteers at the shop, took her grandchildren to show off her hard work when she realised that the two large snowmen were missing.

After hearing what had happened at the Odiham Cottage Charity Shop, Mrs Mayo couldn’t understand why people were targeting these homemade displays.

She told The Gazette: “They must have gone to some extent to get the snowmen, as they would have had to lean over the houses to grab them.

“They had obviously tried to take the whole lot as the reindeer sleigh was disrupted as well, but because I had put them on a base they just took what they could.”

Mrs Mayo believes they must have been taken on December 16 as she went to visit the store on the weekend, and the snowmen had gone missing.

The Stratfield Saye resident had planned to allow the store to raffle off the scene to help the Sue Ryder charity, which allows nurses and care assistants to provide care for people with life-changing conditions.

She said: “It was such a nasty thing to do, and my grandchildren were so disappointed.

“It hasn’t put me off doing another display next year, but I hope the store will at least put a cover over them next time so something like this doesn’t happen again,” she added.