A community-led initiative in East Linton, Scotland, faced a setback after a thief stole a charity donation box from an old phone box on the High Street. The box, which supported the East Lothian Foodbank, was cut from its mountings last Wednesday, according to the project’s creator, Ross Chainey.
Art, Community, and a Stolen Donation Box
The incident occurred in a repurposed phone box that had become a local hub for art and charity. Ross Chainey, a local resident and photographer, launched the installation to display his work—postcards featuring local landmarks, wildlife, and wildflowers—while encouraging visitors to leave messages in a guest book and contribute to the East Lothian Foodbank. Ross, who lives in the village, only started to pursue photography a year ago when he was feeling burned out from a busy life juggling work and parenting two children: five-year-old Esme and Finn, three.
The initiative had been a success, with Ross printing about a hundred postcards originally for people to sign. His efforts proved more popular than he could have imagined, and the original stack was used in the first couple of days. Ross was really pleasantly surprised
by the response and the guest book also filled up quickly, with messages from people in East Linton, the rest of East Lothian and much further afield, including notes that the postcards would be sent across Europe and as far as Canada. Ross and his wife Shannon have always made sure to teach their children about how lucky they are and the hardships that others around them are facing, instilling in them the importance of charities such as the Foodbank; a cause he feels quite strongly about.
However, the physical collection box was removed by a thief who cut through the securing band. Given that these funds were supposed to be directed towards people who cannot afford to buy food, this is pretty low,
Ross Chainey, project creator, noted regarding the theft.
Restoring Faith Through Community Support
Despite the theft, the project has not been abandoned. Chainey shared news of the incident on social media, leading to an immediate outpouring of support from the local community. Residents and visitors, who had previously sent messages of thanks and praise for the installation, responded by contributing to the fundraiser. Chainey, who developed his work through open classes at the University of Edinburgh and has been part of a gallery in Leith, described the broader experience as a fantastic experience that was not ultimately soured by the criminal act. He noted that the community’s swift response restored his faith in people.
Broader Context: Honesty and Accountability
In a separate, unrelated event in Hampshire, the owner of Emsworth Sweets, Leah O’Brien, recently dealt with a similar breach of trust. Leah, who started her business in lockdown as a sweet delivery service, operated an honesty box. An unidentified woman took £30 worth of sweets from the shop but left just 7p as payment. She was caught on camera filling her bag with 10p sweets while two children played beside her. Leah was receiving alerts on her phone throughout the heist. She said: ‘Someone came in the evening and was putting a lot of stuff in her bag and I thought to myself that’s a lot of sweets
. ‘She put just two coins into the box which amounted to 7p. I got an alert on my phone telling me what was going on.’
Leah shared pictures on social media of the alleged thief and soon she had a name.
The Future of the East Linton Installation
For Chainey, the focus remains on the original goal: bringing the community together through art. By continuing the project, he maintains the visibility of the food bank cause in a high-traffic area of the village. He continues to offer his newly developed skills as an offering of his own business. The physical phone box remains on East Linton High Street, serving as a testament to both the popularity of Chainey’s photography and the resilience of the local community in the face of petty crime.
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