A HEARTLESS thief has swiped a charity collection box raising funds to help people with epilepsy from the counter of a West Hampstead bookshop.

 

The tin went missing from West End Lane Books on Tuesday afternoon. Saskia Van Emden, who works at the shop, said they had been raising money for Epilepsy Action charity.

 

“We never thought that anyone would be mean enough to steal it,” she said. “There was more than £20 in there. It was quite full, and we were just waiting to get to £30 before we sent it off.”

 

Ms Van Emden, who has suffered from epilepsy since her early teens, said she was grateful for the support she had received from the charity.

 

She said: “It can be very lonely to deal with, especially as a teenager. I had friends at school who stopped speaking to me as they couldn’t understand what was wrong. It was scary for me but also for the people around me. Everyone has an idea of what they think a fit looks like, but in reality it’s different, and most people just panic, especially if it’s the first time they’ve seen it.”

 

As well as the charity box, the shop has held a bake sale and a book launch for local author Matt Greene, whose book Ostrich documents a young boy’s experience of the condition.

 

Ms Van Emden has not had a seizure for nine years but still has vivid memories: “I know when one’s coming, because I forget what I’m doing or I have a moment of déjà vu while I’m speaking to someone. During a fit I mostly just shake. Afterwards I feel so drained I just cry for two hours.”