St Margaret’s Church Raises Funds for CCTV Following Vandalism

A church warden expressed being “blown away” by the public support received while raising thousands of pounds for the installation of CCTV cameras, which followed an act of vandalism. The church’s organ was destroyed during a break-in that occurred at approximately 13:00 GMT on 24 November at St Margaret’s Church in Bowers Gifford, located near Basildon, Essex. According to Essex Police, two boys, aged 15 and 16, were apprehended on suspicion of burglary and criminal damage; they have since been released on bail as investigations proceed. Nikki Dilorenzo, the church warden, initiated a public donations page that successfully garnered £10,000 to fund the installation of surveillance cameras. She mentioned that when the donation page was established several weeks prior, she had initially set a modest fundraising goal. “When I first set it up, I literally put down £1,000, thinking we’d get a few donations, and we reached that target in a matter of hours,” she stated. The church anticipates reopening by the close of January, contingent upon the completion of repairs and the installation of the new cameras. Mrs. Dilorenzo described the extent of the support she received as akin to a Christmas miracle. “I am overwhelmed by people’s generosity. Even though people don’t come to church every week, people still want it there,” she commented. Following the incident, Mrs. Dilorenzo admitted to having initially lost faith in humanity. However, with the outpouring of support, she experienced a “complete turnaround on how I felt initially.” She further expressed that she was “blown away by the responses that we’ve had.” The burglary occurred a few hours after the Sunday morning service at the Grade II listed Anglican church, which has a history dating back to 1450. Police reported that items believed to have been stolen from the church were recovered, yet the incident resulted in approximately £15,000 worth of damage. “We are going to come out stronger and the church doors will be opened again and we’ve been blessed by everyone,” Mrs. Dilorenzo affirmed.