Wolverhampton’s Pride House to fundraise after break-in

On Friday, December 29, 2023, Wolverhampton’s Pride House was broken into and robbed. The door to the building was smashed open and a coffee machine was amongst the various item stolen. Police are currently appealing for those who saw or know anything to come forward and help with the investigation.

Pride House is home to Gorgeous Radio, X2Y, a youth group for LGBTQ+ young people in Wolverhampton and the Black Country, and Wolverhampton LGBT, a registered charity supporting the community with events, counselling and more.

Ricki Wellman, director of Pride House at Wolverhampton’s Pride House was alerted to the robbery at 1.58am on December 29 when he received a message that the building had been broken into. He rushed to the scene of the crime to find that the door had been destroyed and smoke still lingered in the air from the building’s security defences.

Wellman told The Express and Star: “It definitely isn’t a phone call you want at 1.58 in the morning. I had just put my head down to go to sleep and then my phone went off. I got there and it looked like there was a fire, there was so much smoke from the security system.

“The CCTV actually showed it happening at around 1.57am, you could see him smash the window and he was gone by 2am. Literally less than five minutes. It’s shocking.”

“It’s more the time and the funds to get the stuff back,” he continued “we now have to air out the whole shop because of the smell of the security smoke, it’s heart-breaking to see it the way it is.”

The director explained that the group is now in the process of setting up a fundraiser to pay for more security for the building as this isn’t the first time that the space has been the victim of vandalism.

Wellman said: “It’s not nice to get that call that early in the day. I do usually get calls. When I got to bed I usually watch the cameras and you do see people kick the glass and other stuff.

“It’s just about picking up the pieces now, the insurance will cover the cost of the damages, but we need more security items like better CCTV for the building, and being a not-for-profit, it isn’t cheap.”

West Midlands Police added: “We’re investigating a burglary in School Street, Wolverhampton, during the early hours of Friday (29 December). We’re reviewing CCTV as part of our enquiries and anyone with information can contact us via Live Chat on our website, or call 101, and quote 20/1109681/23.”