A HAMPSHIRE community is rallying round after a "heartless" thief targeted a charity stall at a Christmas celebration.

A cashbox in a gazebo staffed by volunteers from Stags in the Community and Wessex Heartbeat was taken during a distraction theft that occurred during the Totton Community Lantern Parade last Sunday.

The box is thought to have contained about £150, which would have gone towards community projects in the town.

Potential recipients included three Christmas appeals to buy food parcels for the elderly, clothes for the homeless and toys for under-privileged children.

Now a JustGiving page has been set up in a bid to raise £500 - and has already netted more than £340.

Stags in the Community is a group which works with the town's football club, AFC Totton, who are known as The Stags.

Simon Young, the club's chaplain, said: "One of the three people in the gazebo was my 17-year-old daughter, who was absolutely distraught when she learned what had happened.

"The organisers of the lantern parade did an absolutely fantastic job in putting the event on and were as mortified as everyone else.

"But I've been overwhelmed by what has followed from the community at large.

"A JustGiving page has been set up by a member of the public and has already raised a large sum of money, which is just phenomenal.

"It shows the true spirit of the area. When something like this happens people pull together for the sake of the community."

The gazebo was one of the charity stalls which people could visit before the parade set off.

Mr Young added: "I feel very sad that someone, for whatever reason, felt the need to take the money.

"I'm just glad no-one was injured. The person responsible could have resorted to violence to get the money but fortunately that didn't happen."

The JustGiving page says: "The Stags in the Community stall with Wessex Heartbeat was the victim of a heartless theft.

"They are a small community charity working with our football club trying to bring a smile to people in the community.

"Please donate if you can and support them to continue their work.

"It's such a shame that a wonderful community event which is organised to bring people together has fallen victim to this sort of crime.

"Hopefully as a community we can come together to erase the damage done."

John Munro, CEO of Wessex Heartbeat said: "We are hugely disappointed that the money has been stolen especially as Wessex Heartbeat was sponsoring the lantern parade.

"But we are also delighted that people have chosen to raise some money through crowd funding.

"We don't expect them to do that they have chosen to anyway so that's really nice."