The theft, which is currently the subject of a criminal investigation by an Garda Síochána, involved a member of our committee being followed having withdrawn cash to bring to Calcutta. The committee member is thankfully safe, but obviously shaken. While we are relieved that nothing more than cash has been lost, we are devastated that we put ourselves into a position where such a theft was possible.

In future we are committed to minimising our use of cash to situations of absolute necessity. While this will present some logistical difficulties and have cost implications, we are committed to addressing this risk and preventing it from happening again.

The incident was reported to an Garda Síochána immediately. We will also notify the Charities Regulator of this incident and record it in our financial accounts.

As a charity we exist to serve the educational needs of the most vulnerable children and young adults in Calcutta. We depend on the trust and generosity of our supporters and donors in order to continue to exist and sincerely apologise for this incident.

We hope you will continue to support us in future and we will re-double our efforts after this unfortunate incident to ensure that we can continue to raise vital funds for a hugely important cause that is close to all of our hearts.