Tom Moreland was left ‘devastated’ after a thief broke into his car and stole £3,000 worth of bike repair equipment last month, reports Marco Marcelline
Locals have raised nearly £2,500 for a local bike mechanic and “hero” whose repair tools and equipment were stolen from his car near Leytonstone High Road Station on 27th January.
Tom Moreland, who has provided on-call mobile bike repair services through his business More-Than-Right Bicycles since 1998, was left “devastated” by the incident.
In addition to taking his prized repair box, bike and wheel stands, work table, and spare parts, the thief also made off with his daughter’s school bag. Some of the stolen parts were destined for schools across South and East London.
When his insurance company said they wouldn’t cover his losses because the tools were “unsecured”, Tom launched an online crowdfunder with a £3,000 target for a new bike repair toolkit and other equipment that he needs for his job.
Sympathetic locals immediately rallied to his aid with 118 total donations being made in less than ten days for a combined total of £2,460 at the time of writing.
With the money raised so far, Tom has been able to purchase a new toolbox, which he says will help towards him getting back on his feet, adding: “Rome was not built in a day.”
However, Tom says he has been met with “little support” from the police who quickly closed his case after being unable to identify the thief in CCTV footage.
He said: “It’s quite interesting when you consider I went to four places where CCTV was available from. I completely understand how stretched the Met are, yet tool theft is no longer a crime. I’m now officially [just] a statistic.”
Described as a “local hero” by friends and supporters, in 2023 Tom was awarded a Pride of Waltham Forest Award in recognition for his bike repair services to the community over the years.
In response to the outpouring of support, Tom wrote on Facebook: “[I] lost everything my small business needed to survive and prosper to thieving scum [but] having seen the wider community’s response and the care shown by everyone, I’m officially on cloud nine.
“It will definitely take a while before I get over this incident but I will, at least, be able to get back on my bike and help people again a lot sooner than I was expecting.”
You can donate to Tom’s appeal here
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
