A FIFE charity has been left “absolutely devastated” after their minibus was set on fire, leaving over 450 families vulnerable over Christmas.
The Auchmuty & Dovecot Tenants & Residents Association (ADTRA) found their minibus – which is used to supply hundreds of families with hot meals and bedding over the festive period – torched on Wednesday.
The charity has since been forced to find other means to deliver their lifeline services across the community, with the fire having had “a massive detrimental effect on the charity and volunteers”.
With Good Samaritan Willie Kerr from local business Fife Autocentre lending a minibus to try and keep things ticking over in the meantime, the charity is hoping to raise funds to get their own amended bus back on the road.
In a social media post, ADTRA said: “Well as most of you will be made aware our minibus was set on fire last night.
“We are absolutely devastated that some low life has done this to a charity so close to Christmas.
“We feed and help our over 450 families during the festive period and went into panic mode this morning.
“That’s when our knight in shining armour came along and Willie Kerr from Fife Autocentre graciously offered his minibus to help us continue our commitments.
“Thank you all for the kind messages and words, it’s an ongoing police investigation and the individuals have been identified.”
The organisation has also since set up a GoFundMe to recuperate money for a new bus, writing on the page: “Without our community bus we are left in limbo and having to depend on our volunteers to deliver the parcels to the community.”
“Our van is used for a wide range of things, such as driving children and adults football teams to away games, taking pensioners and disabled people to appointments, picking up customers to come along to our Warm Spaces cafe we hold in the Lomond Centre and many more.
“This van is a vital lifeline to our charity, and we are desperately seeking your help to get us back up and running.
“Please, please if you can even spare £1 to help us get to our goal we deeply appreciate it.”
Speaking today, a spokesperson from ADTRA said: “So close to Christmas we have so many groups that were using the minibus for Christmas meals or for taking people out for the day.
“But we’re very lucky a gentleman named William Kerr from Fife Auto Centre has come to us and said he’ll get a minibus for us to continue our commitments.
“We’re insured but the money we’re raising is so we can get the minibus adapted with lifts.
“Everybody’s devastated. We worked hard to get funding for the bus from the National Lottery.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service today added: “We were alerted at 2:45am on Wednesday, 4 December, to reports of a minibus alight on Woodside Way in Glenrothes.
“Operations Control mobilised one fire appliance to the scene, and firefighters extinguished the fire.
“There were no casualties, and crews left the scene after ensuring the area was safe.”
A spokesman from Police Scotland said: “Around 2:40am on Wednesday December 4, we were made aware of a minibus on fire on Woodside Way, Glenrothes.
“The fire is being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing.”
