'Nice people' give toys to robbed boy

Tyler Lobb

Donations for Tyler Lobb, whose house was stripped bare by thieves, have flooded in to help restore his bedroom to a toy haven.

Gifts of children's playthings and cash are now winging their way to Tyler in Hawkes Bay.

The little boy's plight touched the hearts of people when the 5-year-old cancer patient and his mother, Linda, were burgled in Tauranga just before they were due to move.

Thieves smashed into their Windermere home through a lounge window, stealing nearly everything they owned, right down to medication, toilet paper, washing powder and even videos on loan from the Child Cancer Foundation.

But Tauranga residents have come to the rescue.

Ms Lobb said she was emotional all day after discovering how generous people could be.

She had received phone calls from as far away as Auckland, with one man, a "singing cowboy", offering to come and entertain Tyler.

"I'm so overwhelmed, it's been massive. Tyler is very, very happy - so happy," Ms Lobb said.

"He said to me, 'Mum, are the baddies giving my toys back?' and I said, 'No, the nice people'.

"I want to say a big thank you to people who have donated stuff. I've actually been really emotional all day today. I wish I could thank everybody personally."

A Tyler Lobb Appeal has also been started by a Bay radio station and a fundraiser is being held tomorrow at the Historic Village markets from 10am to 12.30pm.

- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES