Wiggly Willow: Thief targets Bishop's Stortford café and SEN social hub

An opportunist thief has stolen a freezer from a Bishop's Stortford café which doubles as a club for people with learning disabilities.

At some point last Thursday evening or Friday morning (Sept 17-18), the item of kitchen equipment was stolen from the back of Wiggly Willow, on the corner of Crown Terrace and Hockerill Street.

Trevor Bennett, secretary at the Wiggly Willow community interest company, explained: "We were reorganising the kitchen. We put it outside the back door and forgot about it overnight. We came back the next day and saw that someone had pinched it."

While the team have managed to fit all their stock in their remaining freezers, this is a temporary solution. Replacing the stolen item will cost around £200, money that could otherwise be spent on organising holidays, outings and entertainment for people with learning disabilities.

Wiggly Willow was opened in March 2018 by Sid Perry, a special educational needs (SEN) specialist. In November 2019, she was named Business Personality of the Year , sponsored by MJ Warner Volkswagen, at the second Indies community awards at South Mill Arts (formerly Rhodes Arts Complex).

In the space of two-and-a-half years, Sid has set up a thriving coffee shop and community hub, laying on a multitude of activities for people with learning disabilities. She has taken groups on holiday to Norfolk and organised day trips to the seaside. She also provides work experience to SEN adults and puts on Makaton signing training sessions.

Through a Wiggly Willow Facebook post , Sid asked the thief to return the freezer but has had no luck.