‘Scumbags’ take pennies from Ryan’s charity box

‘Scumbags’ take pennies from Ryan’s charity box

16 January 2019

THIEVES who targeted an honesty box set up by a young Teconnaught man who sells baked treats to raise money for a host of charities have been branded “scumbags”.

Ryan Bogues (24) is a man with a talent for making mouthwatering chocolate chip cookies and other tempting home baked goodies which he then sells from his Drumnaconagher Road home.

To date the young man — who has Down Syndrome — has raised over £12,000 for a number of charities by placing his baked goods in a box at the end of his driveway. 

Ryan asks customers to cover what it costs him to make the food and add on a donation on top, with and all the money going to Ryan’s charity of the month.

In the past, he has helped Trocaire, Marie Curie and Medecins Sans Frontieres, with his customers including people driving by in cars and tractors, on-duty police, families, walkers and horse riders.

The honesty box at the end of his driveway is known as “Ryan’s Cookie Box” with the food the young man produces approved by Newry, Mourne and Down Council environmental health officials.

Ryan loves what he does and was bitten by the fundraising bug when he was a pupil at the Holy Family Primary School, but his family was left upset recently when thieves targeted his honesty box, which is monitored by CCTV, under the cover of darkness, taking all the food and leaving just 67p.

It is not the first time thieves have targeted the honesty box and while his family were reluctant to go public on social media about what happened, they did so, describing one of the people in the car which stopped before driving off in the Ballynahinch direction, as young, with dark hair and wearing what they described as an “unattractive tracksuit”.

Ryan’s family is also keen that anyone who knows who may have been responsible for targeting the honest box to get in touch with them.

Rowallane councillor Billy Walker, who heard about the recent theft, visited Ryan last week and gave him a donation, in addition to purchasing some tasty treats.

“It is tremendous what Ryan does to help others and he is so committed and enthusiastic,” Cllr Walker said.

“Effectively stealing the food Ryan made and leaving just 67p was despicable and those responsible can best be described as scumbags,” he declared.

“Ryan is an excellent example of someone who gives back to his local community by helping charities and he is to be commended for what he does. We could all learn so much from him.”

Cllr Walker said he hoped those who targeted Ryan’s cookie box would realise the error of their ways and stop again outside the young man’s home to pay for the food they took.

“What happened in the dead of night outside Ryan’s home is a sad reflection on those responsible. If they do not pay for the goods. I hope they can be identified so the authorities can have a word,” he continued.

Cllr Walker, who, along with his Rowallane counterpart Terry Andrews, organises several charity events each year, hopes that his 2019 itinerary will allow him to raise some for Ryan which he can donate to a charity of his choice.

He added: “Ryan is a shining example to us all. He works hard to help others and it is deeply upsetting that there are those in the community who would target of all things an honesty box. It is depressing how low some people are prepared to stoop.”