Lottie Pauling-Chamberlain, profile: Have-a-go hero who stopped a burglar in his tracks

Staff at Lush were so grateful to Ms Pauling-Chamberlain for recovering their property they set up an online fundraising page for her

Lottie Pauling-Chamberlain foiled a burglary

Keeping the streets safe at night?

And the shops, too. Lottie Pauling-Chamberlain stopped a would-be burglar in his tracks when he tried to make off with a laptop and a large box of products from the cosmetics store she sleeps outside.

How did she manage that?

Ms Pauling-Chamberlain, who sleeps rough with her dog Marley outside a branch of Lush in Oxford, knows all the retail and delivery staff by sight. When she spotted a man she didn’t recognise leaving the premises after hours last week she managed to foil a burglary, demanding he hand over the stolen goods to her.

I hope they’ve rewarded her for her efforts?

Staff at Lush were so grateful to Ms Pauling-Chamberlain for recovering their property, worth over £1,000 they set up an online fundraising page for her. “We have known Lottie for years, and have always felt safer with her outside of our shop,” a member of staff wrote on the store’s Facebook page. ”She knew that the man walking out of our shop was not us, and she did the extraordinarily brave thing of challenging him.“

How much have they raised?

As of last night donations from 400 people to the gofundme page had reached nearly £8,000. Writing on the page, the have-a-go hero, who describes herself as a “bouncer” for the store, thanked donors for their support and said she was “overwhelmed” by the kindness of strangers.

What will she do with the money?

Ms Pauling-Chamberlain wrote that she wanted to invest in a houseboat for herself and buy caravans for other homeless people. She said she hoped the caravans would “allow those who are homeless to rent somewhere cheaply, gain a reference for good conduct as a tenant [and provide] time to save money for a deposit while living without…fear.”

To donate to the gofundme page set up for Ms Pauling-Chamberlain visit https://www.gofundme.com/hnwj2dfd