Panel of Scottish Diaspora tapestry stolen from St Giles

The new Scottish Diaspora tapestry was created by Andrew Crummy. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

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An artist has been left shocked and gutted after a brazen thief stole a tapestry panel from a cathedral just days after it went on display.

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Andrew Crummy’s design, Scottish Diaspora, was stolen from St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh on Sunday.

Bizarrely, it is the second time Andrew’s work has been targeted after a panel from another tapestry was stolen while it was on display in Kirkcaldy Galleries in September 2015.

The original panel from the 2015 theft, called the Great Tapestry of Scotland, which depicted the Apprentice Pillar at Rosslyn Chapel has never been found.

Andrew and a team of volunteers painstakingly recreated the panel.

But the latest theft involved a tapestry which had just returned from a world tour. It has more than 300 panels.

Speaking yesterday (Mon), Andrew spoke of his shock as he learned about the theft.

He said: “I’m quite shocked, to be honest. I had no idea it had actually been stolen, nobody told me.

“It’s upsetting because the people who have stitched this tapestry are all volunteers.