This Morning viewers were left heartbroken after a five-year-old boy revealed thieves stole the entire contents of an honesty box stall he runs at his parents’ glamping site.
Harry Clare, from in Welland, Worcestershire, who dreams of running his own shop one day, started selling eggs, milk and homemade soap and lip balm and would retrieve his earnings each day before going to school.
However he was left distraught earlier this week after discovering his stall’s produce, as well as the contents of an honesty box used by customers to pay for the goods, had been ransacked overnight.
After appearing on the show today with his mother Rosie, 35, viewers were left heartbroken and quickly took to Twitter to brand the thieves ‘low’ and hail Harry a ‘ray of sunshine’ in his local community.
Harry Clare, from Worcestershire, who dreams of running his own shop one day, started a stall selling eggs, milk and homemade soap and lip balm using an honesty box
Harry was left distraught after discovering his stall’s produce, as well as the contents of an honesty box used by customers to pay for the goods, had been swiped overnight. He is pictured with mother Rosie on This Morning today
Schoolboy Harry told the show hosts Rochelle Humes and Ore Oduba: ‘Some kind of thief has stolen the things from my shop.
Speaking of his honesty box, he went on: They always leave the money in.’
Asked what the money he raises is used for, his mother answered: ‘It’s his little bit of pocket money.’
One distressed viewer wrote: ‘Harry is such a beautiful little boy. It’s the spirit of the local community that is needed right now and this is an example of the community helping the community. Harry is such a ray of sunshine.’
Viewers were left heartbroken and quickly took to Twitter to brand the thieves ‘low’ and hail Harry a ‘ray of sunshine’ in the local community
Another agreed: ‘How dare someone steal from Harry the shopkeeper. How low can you get stealing from a five-year-old?’
A third agreed: ‘Heartbroken for that poor little boy who got his honesty box stolen. Shame on those thieves stealing from a five-year-old.’
Harry’s mother Rosie said they decided to set up the honesty stall when Harry told her that he wanted to become a shopkeeper after being inspired by a book he read at school.
She told: ‘He was reading this book about a shopkeeper and he said, “Mummy I want to be a shopkeeper, I want to set up my own shop.”
Harry has since set up his stall once again, and also offers good to walkers using a nearby footpath, even accepting PayPal payments
‘So we set him up a little table, so he could sell some eggs from the chickens and we make lip balms, so we were selling some of that to see how it went.’
Harry set up a shop selling eggs for £1.50, his mother’s homemade lip balm for £2.50 and soap for £2 each or three for £5 – but when the youngster went to check his stall on Tuesday he found only his table and a sign left.
Speaking of how she broke the news to Harry, she said: ‘It was very difficult we explained to him that perhaps the person who took it – they took everything, they stripped it, table, baskets, everything was gone.
‘Perhaps it was someone in need who did it rather than someone who did it to be unkind, but he was absolutely heartbroken because it’s his pride and joy.’
When asked by hosts Rochelle Humes and Ore Oduba (both pictured) what the money is used for, his mother answered: ‘It’s his little bit of pocket money ‘
Harry set up a shop, selling eggs for £1.50, his mother’s homemade lip balm for £2.50 and soap for £2 each or three for £5 but was devastated when it was ransacked
Harry has since set up his stall once again, and also offers goods to walkers using a nearby footpath, even accepting PayPal payments.
Speaking of the incident, Harry’s mother said previously: ‘The shop is his pride and joy. He is really proud of it. He still wants to be a shopkeeper and I put a few things back out for him.
‘In the morning he was very upset. There were lots of tears. He had never lost anything from there before and didn’t understand why somebody would do that to him.
Harry’s ordeal went viral and the schoolboy has been inundated with messages of support and donations from as far afield as New York
‘I did tell the police and I got a crime number. But I don’t think they are going to do anything about it.’
Harry’s ordeal went viral after auctioneer Phillip Serrell, who has appeared on BBC One shows Bargain Hunt and Flog It!, tweeted about the incident – and the schoolboy has been inundated with messages of support and donations from as far afield as New York.
Phillip, who has a saleroom near the glamping site, wrote that the thieves ‘will probably be too ashamed to return (Harry’s money and stock) but if they get to read this I hope it costs them a few nights’ sleep.’
The post was retweeted 28,000 times in 24 hours and the family say hundreds of people have offered gifts and donations to them.