Members of Newquay WI were left devastated at Christmas after their premises were ransacked and irreplaceable items spanning 100 years of the group’s history were stolen.

Items including one of the first banners, which members handmade, as well as trophies and letters from the Royal Family were stolen during the break-in at the Newquay WI Hall on Crantock Street on Friday, December 23.

Members are now calling for the historical items, which are not worth a lot of money, to be returned undamaged. People are also being urged to keep an eye out for the items as they may have been dumped.

Newquay WI may have stop community groups from using the hall in future due to the damage caused.

Newquay police are investigating the burglary.

Newquay WI member Jay Wilson said: “Our women institute hall has sustained some serious internal damage and precious historic items removed from our wall cabinets which held irreplaceable items spanning our 100 years of Newquay WI.

The ladies of Newquay WI are very angry and upset about these items being stolen and we would love to get them back.

“The items stolen chart our history of over 100 years including one of the first banners, which members handmade, plus our more recent banner which is at least 30 years old.

“The banners are part of Newquay’s history as well as they were used in countless carnivals and civic parades.

“Other items include letters and cards from the Royal family and telegrams, pictures and trophies, commemorative plaques and personal plates with past and present members names.

“All the items are irreplaceable and priceless to Newquay WI.

“The items taken would not be very valuable at all but they chart our history as Newquay Women’s institute.

“Our president Anne Wilson, who is 83 herself, is devastated this has happened we have lost part of our history which is awful these items cannot be replaced.

“Our hall was also damaged internally which is repairable but the hall is used by lots of community groups and a real valuable space but with this recent tragedy we maybe have to stop the hall being used by outside groups all together which would be a terrible loss to these groups.”

A spokesman for Cornwall Federation of Women’s Institute’s added: “We had to get the precious history back or someone has information about this.”

Anyone with any information or if you see any items with Newquay WI name on it can telephone 01637 879783.