HEARTBROKEN youngsters have condemned thieves who have taken games belonging to an after school club.

With the dark nights drawing in, members of the link club at St Alban's RC Primary School were looking forward to playing on their video machines with their pals.

But one morning last week club manager Paul Scott discovered that their base, within the Bewsey Road buildings, had been broken into, as someone had thrown a brick through one of the school windows.

Missing were a Nintendo console and games, two Game Boys, with their own cartridges, printer and camera, and a CD player.

Paul, who works at the school as a classroom assistant, said: "There isn't a lot of spare money to buy new equipment for the link club. We rely on the kind donations of parents.

"The children are adamant that this is not fair and that people need to know that there are those out there who would do something like this."

Now youngsters have written to the Guardian to express their sadness at seeing their after school club plundered.

One letter reads: "The CD player we have had stolen was great - we could play our favourite CDs and sing and dance.

"This letter is to thank whoever stole our equipment.

"It will never bring as much fun to you as it has to us."

Another letter says: "The children of the link club are unhappy about the missing equipment and hope that whoever stole the games will learn a lesson from knowing that it upsets and makes a lot of people unhappy."

If you can help the link club, contact Paul on 07947 364828, or Peter Magill at the Guardian newsdesk on 434114.