Chestnut Tree House appeals for help after beloved statue is stolen

Staff at Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice, near Arundel were shocked to find that a statue of a little boy, sitting down and playing with a mouse had been stolen from their grounds on Tuesday 16 December, during the day. 

The children’s hospice is appealing to the local community to help make the statue ‘too hot to handle’ by keeping an eye out for it on online selling sites, social media marketplaces, or even at car boot sales. 

Kevin Blackett, Head of Operational Delivery at Chestnut Tree House/Southern Hospice Group said: “This is such a cold-hearted and horrible thing to happen, it feels even worse happening just before Christmas. This is a special time of year for our families, and this is so disrespectful.” 

The statue of the boy is part of a trio of sculptures showing children playing, positioned outside near the hospice entrance. The set also features a little girl gazing at her hands and an older girl dancing. Funded by a generous supporter at a cost of over £5,000, the statues were installed in 2004 and have since become an iconic and much-loved feature of the hospice grounds 

Kevin added: “The statues are distinctive, they offer families and children a reassuring signal that they have arrived at a place of care, sanctuary and play.” 

A Devon based sculptor called Vanessa Marston carefully created the statues using bronze resin. The little boy with the mouse beautifully captures the gentleness, intrigue and kind-nature of children – it reflects those who are being cared for at the hospice. 

As the statue is a one-of-a-kind, it is almost impossible to replace it, and the hospice is a charity so it’s not something they could even consider funding themselves. It costs almost £9million to run the hospice, and only 19% of this comes from government funding. They primarily rely on donations to provide specialist end-of-life care for children with life-limiting illnesses.