Thieves have made off with more than £1,000 of garden machinery from Burton Manor.
The stolen items were locked in a storeroom which according to volunteers are not covered by insurance - meaning the charity will need to find the cost of replacements and increased security.
The Friends of Burton Manor Gardens recently received a prestigious award from the Lord Mayor of Chester on behalf of Chester Civic Trust for the restoration of its Edwardian glasshouse.
However celebrations proved short lived after the loss of all their lawn mowers, rotavator and strimmers.
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