A GOOD hearted gesture by the Golden Square has put a smile on the face of a boy whose birthday money was stolen during a callous burglary.

Owen Clegg, aged 9, picked up a pile of presents at The Entertainer toy store on Friday.

They were given to Owen, of Burtonwood Road, Great Sankey, after officials at the shopping centre saw an appeal for information over the burglary in June, in the Warrington Guardian.

Mum Julie said: "Owen was absolutely thrilled to bits - it was like Christmas for him.

"He had two massive bags of presents, and balloons.

"He is such a lucky boy and it has made everything better."

The family home was raided on June 22, while Owen, brother Louis, aged 17, Julie, and dad Paul, slept.

Money was taken from a shelf of birthday cards, along with Owen's digital camera, and a laptop.

On Friday he was given toys including a Nerf gun, DVDs, 3D jigsaw, and Dennis the Menace 'prank' kit, to compensate.

Julie added: "He was really fed up when the presents were stolen.

"Everything is fine now, and the support from the police, from the Guardian, and from friends and family made it all easier."

Ian Cox, centre director at Golden Square, said: “We felt terrible for the Clegg family when we spotted this story, and felt compelled to step in and offer the family something that could compensate for what they had been through.

“We are always looking for ways to support local people and families, and we are proud to take an active involvement in our community in this way.”

Ann-marie Sackfield, fromThe Entertainer, said: “We were extremely pleased to be able to offer the Clegg family a bundle of our favourite products – these toys are always hugely popular with young children, and we hope they help to raise Owen’s spirits after this cruel incident.”