A Penryn artist whose savings were stolen when her house was broken into has had her faith in people reaffirmed as the community rallied round.

Keri Valentine, of Bank Cottages, had £1,200 in cash from work she had sold stolen during a burglary two weeks ago, when a thief or thieves broke in while she was walking her dog.

Self employed Keri was devastated as she had been saving the cash, taken at recent arts events, to allow her to take a break for personal reasons, but once the news became public she was buoyed up by donations from wellwishers, who also cheered her up with gifts of cake, chocolate, or even just by popping around for a chat and a cup of tea.

Keri had been out walking dog Yuki with her partner Pete Shields on the morning of Wednesday, May 6, and came back at around 1pm to find the lock of the stable door had sheared and the door was ajar.

She said: "Because it was a cheap lock we just thought it had broken, we never thought somebody had broken in.

"There were no other signs apart from a broken lock, and it took to Monday for us to realise.

"I had a big cache of money from working which was all my savings, that I hadn't put in the bank. It was only when I went to the bag [that i realised] all my money, virtually everything I have in the universe, had disappeared."

Pete added: "I think that's probably why they didn't ransack the place, because they hit the jackpot."

Keri, a printmaker who sells designs through company Humble Cottage, and Pete, a mental health worker at the Penryn Campus, moved down to Penryn five years ago after working in care in Bristol, and liked the safe community feeling, including getting involved with local projects such as Incredible Edible.

They found the burglary even more disconcerting as they live in quite a hidden spot, where Keri said "nobody knows we're here" and the neighbours of the ope all keep an eye out for each other.

They have since bought a more secure lock and will no longer keep cash in the house, although Keri said the fact they had not been ransacked had made the ordeal a little less "troubling."

She said: "We would be feeling like we had been violated; it's not a nice feeling. We have told all the neighbours that we've been burgled, and to be more vigilant."

However, she said the "feeling of being burgled" has been countered by the number of people who have been supportive.

After word got around, online with friends in Bristol and also in the Penryn community, that Keri's savings had been taken, she said people began donating money, raising an estimated £600, as well as turning up on the doorstep with treats to raise her spirits.

"There's been this kind outpouring," she said, "from people concerned about what happened.

"Although it's not nice knowing that people came into the house and did what they did, it's made it a whole lot better knowing there's a supportive community out there. We've always had faith in the community and that vindication is important to us.

"It's not the money, it's the fact that people have done it that's really touching."

Anyone with any information regarding the burglary should contact the police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting reference CR/32955/15.