Customers at the Gunnislake post office have been sickened by the theft of a charity collecting box for The Hospice South West.

At first, I didn't believe it,' said Mrs Margaret Turnbull who, with her husband, has been running the post office for the past 15 years. 'I thought perhaps it had been taken away by the local organisers.'

But when she phoned Jan Mowlem of the Tamar Valley Friends, which has a dozen or so boxes in pubs and shops in the area, the theft was confirmed.

'It's the saddest thing possible, little children ill and someone taking the money,' said Margaret.

'It's a very worthwhile cause,' said Jan. 'The feedback from all the mums is really wonderful. It's a place for living not for dying. I really felt physically sick when I heard. I was so angry,'.

She helped found the Friends in 1990, when fundraising for the Hospice first began and, last year, thanks to generous local support, they raised over £10,000. 'The box was due for emptying. It probably had about £16 in it.'