Community rallies round to save Nelson’s shop

Jan 9 2013 by Liam Murphy, Wallasey News

A WIRRAL shopkeeper “wept tears of gratitude” after his local community rallied round to help when a burglary threatened to put him out of business.

The whip round helped the owner of Nelson’s News in Wallasey afford to buy in new stock and newspapers after thieves stole the shop takings.

The shop was targeted on Christmas Eve when the burglars removed bricks from the back of the building and emptied the safe.

Shop owner Nelson Shardey said he had heard noises downstairs during the early hours and when he went to investigate heard someone running away and then saw bricks were missing from near the window and hundreds of pounds and packets of cigarettes had been stolen.

Mr Shardey said: "They came in and took my savings, the money that was supposed to be paying for my newspapers.

"I had not renewed my insurance because the premiums were sky high. It was my worst Christmas.”

But he said: "Then the community went house to house and did a collection to allow me to buy the newspapers.

"I was so moved and I want people to know how much I appreciate this – I never expected they would do that for me. I was in tears with gratitude. There are good people around."

Mr Shardey, who has run the shop in Seacombe with his wife Marie since 1991, also lives above the business which is open from 5am to 8pm.

In 2007 he received one of the Liverpool ECHO's Mersey Marvel awards after he saved his delivery man friend Eddie “The Bread” Leahey from a baseball bat attack and grappled with a masked robber.

Local councillor John Salter also paid tribute to Mr Shardey and the local community who helped him out. He said: "I've known Nelson for many years and can say people in the area really love him. It's a little shop but this just shows the admiration people have for him.

"It's a heart warming story and shows what people here are like. Seacombe is one of the poorest areas but it was amazing the money people raised to help him out."