Generous Marlovians have raised £400 for a young boy whose bicycle was stolen in a popular park over the summer holidays.

Eleven-year-old Kingston Sardie had saved up all his pocket money and birthday money to buy a bike to travel to and from school.

He took it to Higginson Park with his brother and friends earlier this month, locked it up and went away for around 15 minutes.

When the boys returned, they found Kingston’s bike had been stolen, leaving him devastated and with no way to get to and from school.

His mum Tracy said: “He saved up all his money to buy the bike because he had his eye on it for ages.

“He did so much research around which bike to get and eventually settled on it [a Decathlon B’twin]. It cost him £300.

“People think they can steal things and it can just be replaced, especially if you live in Marlow, but it’s not like that for everyone and certainly not for us.”

Resident Adela Hollingsworth set up a JustGiving page after Mrs Sardie posted details of the bike in a Facebook group, prompting members of the group to rally around Kingston and help him buy a new bike.

She said: “It’s fantastic for the community to be able to replace his bike and get him back on track.”

She also said in the group that the £100 target had been exceeded “spectacularly” and had made a little boy “very happy”.

While the fundraiser cannot be closed for 30 days, kind-hearted residents have also approached Mrs Sardie to offer Kingston spare bikes he can use in the meanwhile.

Mrs Sardie added: “We were overwhelmed by the response. So many people messaged us to say, ‘We have a spare bicycle in or garage that he can use’.

“Adela then messaged me to ask if they could set up a fundraising group for him. Initially I was a bit embarrassed as I’m not that kind of person at all, but then I said yes.

“Kingston just burst into tears when I told him how much money had been raised. It’s just incredible.

“We are very, very touched by it and we can’t believe how lovely people are in Marlow. We are very lucky to live here because it’s just such a great community.”