An Arlesey sandwich shop owner has praised the community after they collected more than £200 for an elderly lady who had her handbag stolen in the town.

Lynda Jordan, who owns the family-run A Bite To Eat in Hitchin Road, called the police after her daughter Jade spotted Beryl Foley moments after the incident.

Lynda said: “She brought her into the shop and made her a sweet tea, then she called me for help.”

Lynda, who has lived in Arlesey for 10 years with husband Steve, Jade, 18, other daughter, Jess, 17, and their 13-year-old son James, started a collection box for Beryl in the shop, with family-friend Shelly Mansel in charge of drumming up interest through Facebook.

“Beryl comes to the shop quite often, she’s a familiar face in the community so it’s not suprising everyone has clubbed together to help,” Lynda said.

“The reaction from people in the area and on Facebook has been amazing, we have had around 40 donations, with the largest being £20 – everyone’s pulled together to help Beryl.

“I think its fantastic – it’s a lovely close-knit community and when something like this happens it shows that everyone looks out for each other.”

Beryl hasn’t been out as much since it happened, but when she came in to the shop for a cup of tea, Lynda was sure to tell her the good news.

“We gave the card and donations to Beryl, she was really pleased and she even wanted us to help her write a message on Facebook to say thank you,” she said.