Thousands raised after musician's guitar stolen

More than £11,000 has been raised after a musician's "beloved" guitar, given to him by his grandfather, was stolen.

Tom A Smith, from Sunderland, was travelling to London with his band for a radio interview and gig on Friday when their van was broken into at London Gateway service station.

All their equipment was taken, along with laptops and medication belonging to one of the band members.

Posting a message on social media to those who had donated, his father Andy Smith said: "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts - you've made me cry."

The 20-year-old singer said the guitar had been given to him by his grandfather about seven years ago.

"It's my prized possession, the greatest thing I own," he told the BBC.

"In fact, I only started bringing it to shows recently because I was worried it might get stolen."

The band's interview, on Radio X, went ahead but without the planned live session.

The singer's Facebook post has prompted a number of sympathetic comments, including one tagging music star Elton John and asking him to help.

Among the stolen items was a guitar given to bass player Katie for her 21st birthday.

In his post, Andy Smith, said: "Tom's guitar was a beauty, gifted by his grandad and it had followed him through his whole career.

"He mainly plays electric these days but he writes every song on it and even used it to play in the centre circle at his beloved football club's stadium in front of 40,000 fans.

"Katie's bass guitar was a carefully chosen 21st birthday present from her dad and it really meant the world to her and is irreplaceable."

He added that the money raised could not replace items "like for like" but would help the band carry on performing.

Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].