Appeal to recover stolen MBE from Ilkley charity founder
- Feb 9
- 2 min read
The Principle Trust Children’s Charity is appealing to the public for help after a burglary at the Ilkley home of its founder, Mike Davies MBE, left him devastated and without his cherished MBE medal.
On Saturday evening, a safe was stolen from Mike Davies’s property in the Curly Hill area of Ilkley. The safe contained his MBE, awarded in 2017 for services to business and disadvantaged children across Yorkshire. The charity is urging anyone with information to come forward.
The Principle Trust, founded by Mike Davies in 2011, has spent more than 15 years providing free respite breaks and support to thousands of children from disadvantaged, disabled, trauma-affected and low-income families throughout Yorkshire. With a 100% donation policy, every pound raised goes directly to delivering life-changing holidays and support to vulnerable families. To date, the charity has provided respite breaks to more than 5,400 children across the region.
Mike’s motivation to help disadvantaged children is driven by his own childhood experiences. At the young age of five, Mike unfortunately lost his mother to cancer, leaving his father to provide for himself and four children. Mike’s father had two daytime jobs, which helped pay for childcare, clothes, and food, and the family never had the opportunity to experience holidays as children.
The Principle Trust has since become an integral part of the Yorkshire charity landscape, with respite breaks offered in locations including Blackpool, Filey and Lake Windermere, giving children a chance to escape the pressures of everyday life. The organisation had also recently announced its expanding focus on mental-health support for young people, responding to a growing need locally and Mike’s own passion for better supporting the needs of children in the area.
Mike Davies MBE, Founder of The Principle Trust Children’s Charity, said:
“Receiving this medal was one of the proudest moments of my life, a recognition not just of me but of the hundreds of volunteers, trustees and supporters who’ve worked tirelessly for children across Yorkshire. I am heartbroken that it has been taken, and I appeal to anyone who knows anything about the medal or its whereabouts to please get in touch.”
Police are investigating the incident, and anyone with information is asked to call 101. Members of the public are also encouraged to check local online marketplaces in case the stolen safe or medal is being offered for sale.
