A WOMAN fundraising for a charity trek up Mount Kilimanjaro has had one of her charity boxes stolen from a shop in Poole.

Melissa Scott, who lives in Parkstone, is trekking 5,895metres to the summit at the end of September for the homeless charity Big Issue Foundation.

Elite Health Foods in Bournemouth Road, Poole, has been supporting Melissa throughout her fundraising by advertising events and also by putting a charity box in the shop.

Unfortunately last week when Melissa, 32, went to empty the box, which was full of nine months worth of donations, she discovered it had been stolen.

"It's just really upsetting that someone has taken it," said Melissa, who works as a specialist practitioner for the mental health homeless service for Dorset Healthcare.

"Especially when the money was going to a homeless charity as these people have nothing anyway.

"It's not just me who has been left upset by this - it's also a violation for shop owner Nigel Beamish. Someone came into his shop and just stole the box from the counter."

Melissa will be leaving for her trek in less that two weeks and so far has raised nearly £2,000 - but she is still a long way off from her £3,900 target.

"This charity box was full of almost nine months of donations which was probably about £100," she said.

"It's a bit of a knock because at the moment I'm trying really hard to keep momentum going to raise the full amount."

Unfortunately Melissa doesn't have long to dwell on the loss as she is still in training to make sure she makes it to the summit.

"This is the first time I have ever done anything like this so I really want to complete it," said Melissa who works closely with the Big Issue in Bournemouth as part of her job.

"It's going to be really challenging. It's six days of climbing and the final day we will be trekking for about 12 hours in order to reach the summit.

"But I'm determined to do it for the Big Issue Foundation as I know how vital their work is."

The Big Issue provides vital help and support to the area’s most vulnerable and last year the Big Issue Foundation worked with a record number of individuals.

It operates an open door policy, and work with individuals who have made the first step to try and work themselves out of homelessness.

The charity, The Big Issue Foundation, focuses on delivering brighter futures, boosting self-esteem and helping individuals reclaim their citizenship.

A spokesperson from Dorset Police said: "It has been reported that a charity box was stolen from Elite Health Foods in Poole. Police are investigating the theft and no arrests have been made."

To sponsor Melissa go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=MelissaScott2.