Volunteers replant trees ripped out at country park (From Swindon Advertiser)

Volunteers replant trees ripped out at country park

8:00pm Sunday 28th June 2009 in

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A HIGHWORTH beauty spot damaged by vandals has been returned to its former glory by green-fingered volunteers.

A fortnight ago volunteers who tend the Pentylands Country Park, off Barra Close, Highworth, found more than 100 young trees had been either ripped out or bent over.

In many cases the protective sleeves and stakes to make the trees grow straight had also been removed.

But on Saturday more than 40 volunteers, many of them children, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Highworth Road, Stratton, spent the morning repairing the damage and laying down some donated woodchip.

Highworth Running Club has also pledged £200 towards the cost, while the Great Western Community Forest has agreed to cover the cost of the stakes.

Ken Saunders, 62, chairman of the Friends of Pentylands Country Park, the voluntary group who look after the area, said: “It has been wonderful.

“For us this would have been a project of several days.

“We hope there won’t be any more damage – there probably will be, but we can normally cope with it, it was just the amount of trees they had targeted.”

The damage, the majority of which was carried out on the night of June 14, was estimated to cost the Friends of Pentylands Country Park £15,000. The group normally expect to make a couple of hundred pounds a year.

The trees themselves were part of 1,000 trees that were planted on Valentine’s Day as part of a community tree planting project which involved 400 residents.

Many of them had been planted in memory of loved ones who had passed away.

Sarah Taylor, 34, relief society president for the church, said the project had come to their attention through its Swindon congregation.

The Pentylands clear up was one of four projects on the same day around Swindon which also included work at Lydiard Park, the Swindon and Cricklade Railway and Beechcroft Infants School.

“For my children it’s really important that I’m teaching them to look after the parks,” said Mrs Taylor, whose 11-year-old daughter Harriet was one of the clean-up team.

“I personally agree with the children doing litter picking and tidying up – the more work they do, the less likely they are to be doing it.”

Volunteer Claire Retallick, 16, of Evesham, said: “We have done similar projects in other places and it has made a difference.”

Mr Saunders put out an appeal for those responsible to come forward and apologise “Unfortunately nobody’s shown their faces yet,” he said.

He added that any further donations would be welcomed. Anyone wishing to make a donation can call Mr Saunders on 07968 640136.