A HEROIC homeless woman has thanked strangers for donating £6000 to help her and her dog Marley, after the pair thwarted an attempted burglary

'Lottie Pauling-Chamberlain' commented on a fundraising page which staff at LUSH in Oxford set up, after she confronted a burglar who tried to steal thousands of pounds worth of goods from the soap shop.

She wrote: "hi so I'm Lottie and that my 'dog Marley' as in bob thank u all sooooooooooo much literally I'm overwhelmed had to open first facebook account just to comment on all this. hope the sun shines on all ur faces.

"again u all amaze us. thank u. Funds will go to buying a small bit of land to put a caravan on any extra will, if i get my way, buy more caravans to allow those who are homeless to rent somewhere cheaply, gain a reference for good conduct as a tenant, time to save money for a deposit while living without the fear of where u will sleep at night.

"So please keep donating and thanks for the support so far. visit me on facebook anytime for a chat. would love to hear from you as would Marley."

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Lottie - who often sleeps outside LUSH in Cornmarket Street - challenged a man who had broken into the store.

Oxford Mail:

Trainee manager Rachel Ross and store manager James Atherton with the hamper full of food and treats for Lottie and Marley 

Manager James Atherton, 26, said: "He came out with our laptop and about £1,000 worth of products. She confronted him and said she knew he was not from LUSH.

"He was so surprised about it he gave her all the stuff and then ran off."

Her huge dog Marley, named after the reggae legend, growled at the criminal as he left. 

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The next day staff - still reeling from the shock of the burglary - were shocked when Lottie popped in to return the goods. 

Trainee manager Rachel Ross, 23, said staff were "blown away" by what Lottie had done, describing her as a "beautiful lady."

They thanked her with a hamper of food and treats to say thank you, and set up a campaign to raise money for Lottie and homeless charities in the city.

Within a few days, staff have already smashed through the half-way point of their £10,000 target, with generous donations totalling more than £6,000. 

Thames Valley Police spokesman Gareth Ford-Lloyd confirmed officers were called to an attempted burglary at the address at 3.30am on Wednesday. 

He added: "There were reports that goods and a laptop had been taken.

"These were reportedly returned by a member of the public."

To donate to Lottie click here.