Appeal after theft of bronze sculpture from Whaplode

A Whaplode man is appealing for information after a sculpture bought for him and his wife on their 40th wedding anniversary was stolen from outside his home.

The ruby shaped bronze was taken from outside Stan Hoyes’ front door in Churchgate overnight on Friday, August 21.
Mr Hoyes said the bronze has great sentimental value to him as a gift from a group of friends and he is asking anyone who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously around the time of the theft to get in touch with police.
He said a couple of days earlier a smartly dressed middle-aged man approached him at his home asking for directions to Randolph’s Bank. A friend of Mr Hoyes in Gosberton was also approached by someone asking for the same address and Mr Hoyes wonders if it was the same man looking around for valuable items to steal.
lMr Hoyes is also hoping to find a new public home for the large Buttercup World sculpture, which used to be on display in Whaplode but is now languishing in a workshop.
He said: “It is so beautiful that it seems such a shame for it to be hidden away.
“It would be good to find it a new home where it could once again be enjoyed by everyone.”