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RUSTRATING: Civic Pride volunteer Ian Hartley, 14, with the vandalised hanging baskets.
RUSTRATING: Civic Pride volunteer Ian Hartley, 14, with the vandalised hanging baskets.

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Anger as revellers ruin group’s efforts

George Oliver
30/ 8/2007

A COMMUNITY leader has appealed to the public not to undo her organisation's good work after hanging baskets were vandalised in Rawtenstall over the weekend.


Members of Civic Pride had spent days bedding in 1,600 plants in baskets and planters in the area around the bottom of Bank Street earlier this month.


But the volunteers were left frustrated and tearful on Sunday morning as they discovered that baskets hung next to Ladbrokes had been pulled down the previous evening.


Although the baskets have since been re-hung, plants have been broken after they landed top down.
Team leader Jan Shutt said that she did not begrudge people wanting to have a good time - but pleaded with them not to do so at the expense of others' hard work.


She said: 'I appreciate high jinks and having a lark - and I do not have any problem with that - but I do not understand what joy people get from this.


'I don't think people go out to be mean-spirited, but I think that one person probably started swinging on one basket and then it got out of hand.


'I wonder if these people came back the next morning and saw what they had done and felt any remorse?'


It took 13 Civic Pride volunteers two days to sort out the baskets - which had been donated by Leabrook Nurseries.


And the charity has also paid for, created and maintains the bright planters on the railings outside outside Asda.


Adding that the vandalism would not prevent Civic Pride from engaging in future projects, Jan said: 'As much as we were all appalled, our collective attitude was that you cannot let an incident like this make us give up, otherwise the people who have actioned this have won.'


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Most recent 1 of 1 user comments

   High jinks and having a lark - pathetic. Do you think you can appeal to their better nature? Stop being a liberal do-gooder and call it criminal damage by scum -at least then you will get people's support. And put barbed wire around the baskets -that will teach them.
anon, Bacup
11/09/2007 at 19:38
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