Nottinghamshire Police appeal for information after Winthorpe burglary sees items including sentimental bracelet stolen

A heartbroken mum is urging those who stole priceless jewelery belonging to her late husband from her Winthorpe home to return them.

Louise Blyth lost her husband George, the father of their two children, to bowel cancer in 2016 when he was just 33 and their children were just one and three.

She later wrote a book – Hope is Coming: A True Story of Grief and Gratitude – about her experiences of grief and finding solace through her Christian faith.

The bracelet made from Louise's wedding ring.The bracelet made from Louise's wedding ring.
The bracelet made from Louise’s wedding ring.

After George’s death, she made a crucifix bracelet from her wedding ring (pictured here) when she married her husband Colin in 2020.

She said: “They stole my marriage and when I married Colin I didn’t want my beautiful rings taken away too so I made my ring a cross as a symbol of my hope and faith. “

But on Wednesday evening (December 11) at 5.11pm, Louise’s home was broken into as she was picking her son up from school.

Her husband Colin called a neighbor to ask him to check the house when the alarm went off as it was initially thought their tree had fallen.

But when the neighbor went to the house, he found a side window broken and open, so he called the police.

The criminals ransacked the house and stole many high-value items, mainly jewelry, and Louise’s precious ring bracelet was one of the stolen items.

“The bracelet means more than any money,” said Louise, “It’s very profound that this has been stolen – but they can steal my cross, but they can’t steal my faith.

“They have no idea what the bracelet really means.

I said a prayer for the thieves that even though they took this bracelet, even if they don’t give it back, they find meaning.

Louise Blyth.Louise Blyth.
Louise Blyth.

“People must be desperate to steal things like this and they must be in a very bad situation, so I prayed for the person who did it and I want the cross to mean something to them.”

Louise added that the family had never had a video doorbell or similar devices, but now had to install CCTV cameras:

“When someone invades your privacy like that, you want to do something to make your home feel safer.”

Nottinghamshire Police confirmed that a designer Chanel bag, jewelery and antiques including an antique silver teapot and sugar bowl were stolen in the burglary.

Muddy footprints were left across the house, while objects were found scattered everywhere.

Sergeant Mark Walker, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We are determined to find who was responsible for this burglary, which has understandably left the owner very upset.

“With this in mind, we would ask that anyone who saw or knows anything about what happened and has not yet contacted the police to do so immediately.

“We would also ask people to check any CCTV, doorbell or dash cam footage from the area during this time as it could assist our investigation.”

Any information can be shared with police by calling 101, quoting incident 545 of 11 December 2024, or reporting it anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.