HEARTLESS thieves stole £7,500 destined to help children in Africa.

The Reverend Lynda Hulcoop, of Southwick Christian Community Church, was in Sainsbury’s when the two women swooped and snatched the money from her bag.

Police are appealing for anyone who recognises either of the two women pictured behind her to come forward.

Miss Hulcoop had raised the money with the help of her parishioners at the church in Roman Crescent, Southwick.

Various fundraising events had been held including a church sale and the money was going to support schools in the African republic of Zimbabwe.

Prior to flying out to Africa she had taken the money to the bureau de change in the Sainsbury’s in Old Shoreham Road, Hove.

She changed the £7,500 into US dollars and left the store at around 4pm on January 23.

“I’ve always changed my money there so I thought it would be safe. But the CCTV shows two women were waiting by the magazines probably listening when I was changing the money.”

Two women followed her to the exit and used sleight of hand to remove bundles of banknotes from a bag she was carrying.

She said: “I felt a woman brush past me but I didn’t think anything of it at the time. That must have been when they took the money.

“When I got home and realised it had gone, I knew straight away what had happened. It was a real pit-of-the-stomach moment.”

“Many people had donated and worked very hard to raise these funds for a special needs school, for the support of a disabled young man who had recently tragically lost his mother, for food, medical aid and more.

“Zimbabwe rarely makes the headlines these days but the situation there is dire. The economy and the banking system have basically collapsed.

“Normally our charity sends

money by bank transfer but this option is no longer viable as the banks only allow people to withdraw $100 per day involving many long hours of queueing. Thus we had to take cash.”

After reporting the money missing detectives uncovered the CCTV footage which shows the two suspects.

Miss Hulcoop said she felt so down after the theft that she considered not going out to Africa.

However, she did and on her return said: “The last two weeks living among these lovely but poverty-stricken people trapped in such dire circumstances and surviving on so little, I am left feeling even more deeply the horrible injustice of this incident.

“Greedy people preying on others for their own gain have stolen money meant for children and families in desperate need in a country on the verge of collapse.

“The whole community who gave so generously feels the offence very keenly.”

“I would love to talk to them one day and look them in the eye and see if they have got any conscience about what they have done. I’m a Christian so I want them to change their behaviour.”

Zimbabwe is one of the poorest in southern Africa with widespread poverty and unemployment.

Anyone who may have seen what happened, who recognises the women believed to have been involved or any other information about the incident is asked to call police on 101 quoting serial 1054 of 23/01.