Investigation into arson at Little Theatre in Birkenhead

They were sent to the Globe by Little Theatre trust chairman Julie Breckon following the incident at the hugely popular theatre in Grange Road West in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Damage caused by arsonists who target Little Theatre. Picture: Julie Breckon

A fundraising appeal set up to cover the costs of any uninsured losses the trust may have because of the fire has had an overwhelming response from the public with more than £4,500 donated.

Julie told the Globe today: "This absolutely phenomenal. I would just like to thank everyone again for their support.

"The response that we have had is incredible."

Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service have launched an investigation into the blaze, which destroyed most of the props department at The Little Theatre in Grange, but could have been far worse had it not been for a quick-thinking resident.

Damage caused by arsonists who target Little Theatre. Picture: Julie Breckon

A woman who lives near the theatre called the fire service after hearing an alarm and smelling smoke, and firefighters were able to restrict the fire to a props room and corridor.

After visiting the theatre to see the extent of the damage Julie set up an appeal fund on justgiving to ask for donations to cover any uninsured losses the trust may have because of the fire.

The theatre is home to the Carlton Players, which has performed at the theatre since the 1950s, and Julie is chairman of the Carlton Little Theatre Trust.

Damage caused by arsonists who target Little Theatre. Picture: Julie Breckon

Julie said said: "A resident who lives nearby smelled smoke and heard an alarm at 4.30am, so went out to take a look and contacted the fire brigade.

“Thankfully because she called them so early the damage is nowhere near as severe as it could have been.

“We have lost pretty much the contents of our props department, but our auditorium, other than the smell of smoke, is relatively unscathed.

“The fire brigade said if it had been half an hour later the whole place could have gone up.

Damage caused by arsonists who target Little Theatre. Picture: Julie Breckon

“We also have the damage to the front window, which was broken by the person who had broken in order to get out.

“When I went down there today I didn’t know the extent of the damage, and it was upsetting to see.

“We are a charitable trust, staffed pretty much entirely by volunteers.

“The things which were damaged we are not going to be able to replace easily because they are things old members have donated - it’s heart-breaking to see.

“The theatre means so much to our members and the community.

"The appeal fund will cover any uninsured losses we have.

“The fire has gone into a corridor where we store a lot of our paintings, which are irreplaceable."

She thanked the community for the ‘outpouring of support,’ which she said had been ‘phenomenal’.

She added: “I set up the justgiving page to give people an option to donate if they could, and couldn’t have expected that we would even reach the £500 target.”

Damage caused by arsonists who target Little Theatre. Picture: Julie Breckon
Wirral Inspector John Fitzgerald said: "This fire has caused significant damage to a popular community theatre and we share the disgust of those locally, and their determination to find those responsible.

"This is a difficult enough time for our businesses, without the added stress and upset that such a disgraceful attack brings.

"It is heartening to hear that so many people have contributed to raising funds as a result and meanwhile, we’ll continue to work alongside MFRS to investigate.

“Did you see anything in the early hours of Saturday, or capture anyone acting suspiciously on home CCTV, dashcam or other devices? Any small detail could prove the key, so tell us what you know and we will take action.”

You can pass information via our social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter or 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook with reference 20000613186, or call the independent charity @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111. 

You can also contact them via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.