URGENT INCIDENT / APPEAL

Update: 3rd November 2025: Appeal for Support

We’re now appealing for help to specifically replace the specialist tools and equipment that were stolen. If you, your business, or an organisation you know can donate, contribute towards funding, or offer a charitable discount for professional-grade equipment.

At the moment, we are prioritatzing the procurement of:

At the moment, we’re prioritising the replacement of the following essential equipment:
• Battery-operated chainsaw and battery – AP 500 S Battery and MSA 300 Cordless Chainsaw (AP System)
• Impact driver and drill – HIKOKI KC18DCJAZ 18v Twin Pack DV18DC Combi Drill & WH18DC Impact Driver, including 2x 5.0Ah batteries
• Brushcutter – Stihl FS491

If you can help with the above items, please get in touch.
Call 01933625527 or email info@rftrust.org.uk

If you’re unable to provide equipment but would still like to support our recovery, a personal donation to our charity can make a real difference. It will help us catch up on delayed work and, where possible, invest in additional tools we urgently need.

You can donate here: https://stanwicklakes.org.uk/donate-to-trust/

More broadly speaking, we’re continuing to work through the proper channels (including police and insurance) to recover what we can. However, it’s realistic to say this process takes time and won’t return us fully to where we were. The loss continues to have a significant impact on our day-to-day conservation work and site maintenance – hence the appeal for more immediate support.

Thank you to everyone who’s reached out so far – your kindness and encouragement have meant a great deal to the team. Every message, donation and offer of help reminds us how much people care about Stanwick Lakes.

Original Post: 23/10/25

We’re EXTREMELY disappointed and saddened to share that Stanwick Lakes was subjected to a break in early this morning (Thursday 23rd October). We know it was a targeted attack, there were three of them, they came on bikes and left via the Irthlingborough end of our site.

Essential tools and our site buggy have been stolen – equipment worth more than £19,000, but FAR MORE VALUABLE in terms of our daily operations and crucial to the running of our site.

The equipment that has been taken will prevent work that is VITAL to the existence of this site as a protected place. Our team is doing everything possible to manage today and the short term but it’s a huge setback for the charity, both practically and financially. Frankly, it’s exhausting to be targeted like this by criminal and anti-social behaviour on an ongoing basis.

Our site is OPEN today, potentially with some police presence. We’d welcome your patience and friendly faces if you’d like to support us with a visit.

We have CCTV on site and have shared relevant footage with Northamptonshire Police, who we’re working closely with them and the forensics team as they investigate.

CONFIRMED STOLEN:

• Kawasaki Mule, which is a type of utility terrain vehicle (UTV)

• 4 brush cutter

• 3 chainsaws

• Nail gun

• Leaf blower

• Various other equipment under assessment

If you have ANY information at all, please, please contact Northamptonshire Police (crime ref: 0065 – 23/10/2025) or message us directly.

How can you help?
If anyone can help us repair our container doors, we’d be very grateful to hear from you.

UPDATE:
We’re grateful for all offers of support during this difficult time.
We’re currently assessing the full impact and working out the best way forward, so we’re not setting up any separate fundraising appeals just yet. As a registered charity, we need to ensure any fundraising or donations are through our official channels for transparency and everyone’s safety. For anyone who’d like to support Stanwick Lakes, donations can be made through website – here:
Donate To Trust | Stanwick Lakes | Nature, Heritage, Adventure

Your kind words of support are make a huge difference to the team, right now and always.

We’ll remain open and do everything we can to carry on as normal – your visits and support really do make a difference right now.
Thank you for your support.