My name is Nick Thompson and I am the owner of Melior Sports, a small business in St Albans. Very sadly our van full of specialist tools and equipment was stolen on Sunday 8th May outside our unit in St Albans. It was stolen by 2 men - one in a balaclava - that arrived in an untaxed and uninsured blue BMW 525d. Registration plate WD08 DPV.

Unfortunately I was under the impression that the tools were insured under the business but due to T&Cs of the type of cover I have, it transpires they are not. I have investigated the terms and conditions of the insurance comprehensively and unfortunately there is no way to claim any sort of compensation for the tools. The insurance claim has been placed for the van, but has not yet been accepted.

We have been growing the business from nothing since 2016 - we have completed some awesome projects on the squash circuit and have invented some innovative products for the squash industry. However, we are a very small team and the squash court maintenance/construction industry is not a lucrative one. We work very hard for not a lot of money because we love the sport of squash and believe that work should be done fairly and efficiently. We do our best to support the squash industry, and to be a decent and responsible employer and business. COVID had made the industry stand still for 2 years and we suffered immensely but thankfully Melior Sports had started to recover some of our losses throughout this year. The theft and non-reimbursement of our tools is an enormous blow to morale and finances. The fact that we now have to find over £10,000 to buy all new tools is devastating and it will take us a very long time to recover from it at all.

Here are the tools that were stolen:

- floor sanders including belt and edge sanders - £5000

- scaffold - £2500

- drills £300

- batteries and chargers - £350

- hand tools - £300

- edge trimmer - £550

- miscellaneous power supply - £300

- squash court paint - £1200

- miscellaneous tools and equipment - £1000

We are appealing to the squash community for any financial aid you can provide, large or small, to help assist and rescue our business. We love this industry and want to continue to operate in it. I can't express enough on a personal level how saddened I am by this hit, and I and all my employees will be extremely appreciative for any donations that help to keep us afloat.

For every donation over £30, we will send a free Melior Sports tee shirt to show express our gratitude and show our appreciation for your support.

Thanks, Nick (Founder of Melior Sports)

(Picture of myself and the van on it's first day of usage in our new business - from 2016)