Roxy’s Rainbow Pet Cremation owner ‘humbled’ after nearly £4,000 raised following Hartlepool burglary

The money has been donated after someone broke into Roxy’s Rainbow, in Greatham Street, Hartlepool, and stole their pot of gold collection tin.

Dog lovers Rachael and Phil Gair raised £600 in February for Roxy’s Rainbow, donating the money to the business just days before it was broken into.

They then decided to set up a GoFundMe page to raise further funds with the overall total raised now exceeding £3,700.

Reading about the break-in, Rachael said: “I was gutted. I could not sleep. I woke up the next morning and I was like right, I’m getting the money back.”

Speaking about the donations that have been coming in, Darren Bates, owner of Roxy’s Rainbow, said: “It’s absolutely amazing, the way everybody has come together – the amount of phone calls and messages and people coming down with money.”

Roxy’s Rainbow provides a personalised pet cremation service for a range of animals across the town, and the donations help support families struggling to pay for certain cremation services.

Darren set the business up in 2021 in memory of his family black Labrador Roxy after she died from a tumour on January 31, 2020, and runs it alongside his partner, Pamela.

Their Pot of Gold relies on generous donations from the public to help support families and animals across the town and wider area that cannot always pay for their services.

Darren has already used some of the money to donate dog food amounting to £600 to Maxi's Mates Rescue & Rehoming Centre, in Carlin Howe Farm, Dunsdale, and has also donated £360 to Second Chance Hartlepool Cat Rescue.

Darren said: “It has made us feel so proud that we have, as a little company, touched so many people.”

A 38-year-old man arrested in connection with the burglary has been released on bail by Cleveland Police pending further inquiries.

Donations to Roxy’s Rainbow can be made online at https://www.gofundme.com/f/top-up-roxys-pot-of-gold?utm, or by donating to their Pot of Gold collection tin in store.