Halfords donate bike to Edinburgh A&E nurse after hers was stolen before 12 hour shift

An A&E nurse who had her bike and lock stolen from her flat’s stairwell before she started a 12 hour shift at the Royal Infirmary has received a new bike.

Hannah received Black Panther 2.0 from Halfords after the retailer heard the story of her bike theft

At the beginning of February, Hannah Shenton was set to leave for work on a Monday morning when she discovered her bike, which was her main mode of transport to her job, had been stolen.

An appeal to find her bike, which she had named Black Panther, was shared hundreds of times on Facebook, but police had told Hannah that the bike, which was worth around £800, was unlikely to be recovered.

However, after a friend of Hannah’s told Halfords her story, the retailer offered to replace her bike free of charge - which she has named Black Panther 2.0.

Hannah said: “I decided to get a new bike last year at the start of lockdown. Cycling to me is a nice way to spend a few hours outside.

“I also use my bike to commute, I work in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary as a nurse and find headspace in a cycle.

“When I went to get my bike one morning to find it had been stolen, I was absolutely heartbroken.

“I’d become attached to the bike throughout lockdown and to find someone had taken it from my stairwell was devastating.

“I reactivated Facebook in a plea to get my bike back, and was absolutely overwhelmed with the response.

“Hundreds of people messaged me offering to help and shared the post. Halfords contacted me offering a new bike after my friend Scott had messaged them explaining what had happened.

“Although bike theft is truly awful, I am so happy and warmed by the response and all the good which has shined through.

“Thank you Halfords for bringing Black Panther 2.0 to me.”

Sarah Filippardos, head of cycling at Halfords said: “It’s the right thing to do. As soon as we heard of Hannah’s story we put the wheels in motion and coordinated for her to get a replacement of her much loved Black Panther.

“We’re trying to do our bit for all the NHS and emergency workers and other unsung heroes across the community who seem to becoming an easy target for unscrupulous thieves. Thefts like this can be incredibly disruptive, especially at such a critical time when it can leave many frontline workers without a vital mode of transport. Fortunately there is widespread support from the public and companies doing their bit to keep emergency workers on the road.

“We’d recommend that if you have a bike, then photograph it, capture the frame number and any unique features it has, to help you, the public and the police identify it if it does get stolen.”

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