UK: Fury after vandals wreck community garden before it had chance to open
‘People feel they have to accept that this is what they get if they live here ‘
By Asha Patel
Leicestershire Live
Dec 16, 2022
Excerpt:
A group aiming to set up a new community garden in Leicester has been left fuming after vandals trashed the site before it even opened. The site in Beaumont Leys was unused until The E2 Community Hub stepped in to lease it with a view to turning it into a special outdoor space for families and young people.
But a colourful temporary hoarding designed and painted by young people which has been placed round the site has now been destroyed in a spate of recent anti-social behaviour. A number of incidents in the area have been reported to Leicestershire Police since November.
Chief executive of E2, Martin Buchanan said: “The site had been a wasteland for years and we thought we could use and do something special, create a space for everyone. But mindless thugs have decided to smash it all up and wreck it.
“It’s a real shame, especially when we’ve been trying to make this a reality for so long. It took us months – fighting for a lease and finalising the money and resources and volunteers. Now we’re thinking ‘Do we give up with that?’ because vandals have attacked it before we’ve even got started.”
The plan for the Urban Garden includes a pond and seating area, vegetable plots, beehives and more. But Martin and his team fear any progress on the plan runs the risk of suffering similar damage to the hoardings, which can be patched, although the artwork created by young people cannot be replaced.
