Hello, my name is Richard and I'm an Royal Artillery Reservist veteran of 20 years.

My full time job is a self employed Carpenter and Joiner, and my tools are my my life blood of my trade. Without them I cannot make a living.

On Sept 7th the worst possible situation happened. Whilst I was on site, my van was broken into and all my tools were stolen. This is an absolutely devastating blow for myself as I can no longer make an income, and if I cannot recover quickly I will have to shut my business and sell the van to cover outstanding bills. If I have to do this, I will not be able to go back Into the building industry due to extremely prohibitive costs of set up.

I have had the tools for a good few years, so any insurance payout I may receive, won't cover the cost of new ones.

It is a very stressful and desperate situation I find myself in, as every day I cannot work, means the harder it is to cover everyday bills.

Any assistance is greatly appreciated