Thousands raised for carer in Middlesbrough whose car was destroyed in race riots

A care worker from Middlesbrough whose car was destroyed by racist rioters has received thousands in donations after his story made headline news.

On Sunday (4 August), Brendan Nwabichie discovered his car burnt to ashes, forcing him to break down in tears after it took him a year to save up for it.

Footage of the horrific incident was soon shared to X/Twitter with many responding in anger towards the thugs.

The company he works for has since set up a GoFundMe to replace Brendan's car.

At the time of writing, it has raised a staggering £60,000, massively surpassing the initial £3,000 target.

"Clare’s Care Ltd are trying to raise money for one of their employees whose car was burnt out during the riots in Middlesbrough on Sunday 4th August 2024," the page reads.

"Any donation would be really helpful. Any additional money we are lucky enough to raise we intend to give to our employees that have been affected by having to cancel their shifts at work because they were unable to leave the house," it continued.

The creator was "overwhelmed" by the donations, with remaining funds being given to mosques and churches that arranged the clean-ups across Middlesbrough, "as well as anyone else that was a victim of the riots."

Over 4,800 have made donations with the top donation being £1,000 and many more in the hundreds.

"Dear Brendan, we are so sorry this happened to you but it was a small mindless minority. You are welcome here, we stand by you and all our black and brown brothers and sisters. Spread love not hate," one wrote.

Another added: "Brendan I am so very sorry that this happened to you, you do a hard enough job in a world that isn’t always kind without this. I hope seeing this fundraiser you will realise you are appreciated and not everyone is bad."

Former footballer Stan Collymore shared the fundraiser on X/Twitter, adding: "This is the England I know and love."

Fears of violent disorder on Wednesday were quashed thanks to a “show of force from the police” and “unity from communities” who appeared at counter demonstrations, Sir Mark Rowley said.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s comments came after shops were boarded up in many towns and cities over fears of further rioting after a week of violent disorder which started in Southport, Merseyside, on July 30.

In most places, planned anti-immigration protests failed to materialise, despite the threat of more than 100 planned protests, with Home Office minister Dame Diana Johnson claiming “swift justice” had acted as a deterrence.

Additional reporting by PA.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.