Swindon man has group in tune again after musical items stolen (From This Is Wiltshire)

KIND-HEARTED Ian Millar went from distribution worker to guitar hero after coming to the aid of a charity burgled twice in as many months.

The 50-year-old saw an appeal on TV show Crimewatch for witnesses to two burlgaries at Entertainment Workshops, an alternative education facility which provides vocational education, in Rye, East Sussex.

After hearing how thieves had stolen around £50,000 in equipment including guitars, computers and cameras, Ian, who works for Wincanton, decided to do what he could to help.

He called the Sue Ryder store, in Swindon, and was put through to head office where he was able to arrange for two acoustic guitars, an electric guitar and an amplifier to be delivered to the charity.

Ian said: “I saw it on Crimewatch Roadshow that they had had laptops stolen and hard drives with all their work on.

“It had all been destroyed and there were a couple of lads on there just breaking down.

“I really wanted to help them because the young lad was talking about how it had affected them and they had stolen his work, which he would never see again. The charity does some good work helping kids and adults with entertainment and life skills.

“I was looking at guitars in Sue Ryder which were £30 and thought that’s nothing really if it can help them. I’ve been in touch with them since and will keep helping them.

“I ordered them over the phone and paid for them before they were delivered to the charity, and they were chuffed to bits.”

David Byrne, chairman of Entertainment Workshops, said: “Ian saw details of our break in on the Crimewatch TV programme, where there was a substantial amount of guitars, iMac computers, cameras and video equipment stolen along with students’ work which was also saved on these computers.

“We were broken into twice within seven weeks and stolen equipment totalled to over £50,000.

“Ian wanted to help us – he felt so passionate about the work we were doing with these young people that he managed to donate several guitars and amplifiers for our young people to use in the music studio.

“Our students and ourselves are most grateful for Ian’s kind donations and he is still donating equipment to this day.

“It is amazing that someone who lives in Swindon has been helping a charity from East Sussex, it certainly restores our faith in human nature.”