A local community has rallied around a 10-year-old boy with an incredible gesture after thieves raided his homemade jam stall.
The young entrepreneur from South Petherton in Somerset was spirited back to success after the brazen raid left him without stock or savings.
James, who has spent the past two years crafting preserves alongside his grandmother, had been putting aside earnings from his roadside stall to purchase a motorbike when he turns 16.
Thieves struck overnight on January 8, clearing out the stall entirely and making off with jars of jam as well as cash totalling more than £40.
Following the cruel act, the local community came to the aid of the inspiring youngster and his stall, James’s Jams.
Residents dug deep and contributed more than £200 to help James restart his venture.
They also delivered fresh fruit and empty jars to help make future batches.
Kate, James’s grandmother, revealed the family had been overwhelmed by the response, receiving upwards of 300 messages via social media from people offering further assistance and donations.
The family awoke one morning to find the store pilfered
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FACEBOOK: JAMES’S JAM
The grandmother said the family were understandly “quite shocked” upon realising James’s stall had been robbed.
“I went out in the morning just to put the eggs out and noticed everything was gone,” she said.
“You get the odd pot going missing, but to take the whole lot, it was a bit of a shock.”
Kate expressed bewilderment at why anyone would target her grandson’s modest enterprise.
James and his grandmother, Kate, spent the past two years crafting preserves
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FACEBOOK: JAMES’S JAM
However, she noted her grandson’s determination to press on despite the setback.
“He is 10, so generally they do bounce back quite quickly from things like that… he’s up for the challenge of starting it all again,” she explained.
James himself expressed his gratitude for the support shown by neighbours and strangers alike.
“I felt like I had a nice community around me,” he told the BBC.
The young jam-maker and his grandmother have now taken steps to prevent future incidents.
“We’ve got a new shed, we’ve got a light for it and a security camera so it doesn’t happen again,” the 10-year-old said.
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