Vandals Wreck Skate Park

  Mindless vandals who went on a wrecking spree in a   playground in Senghenydd are damaging the efforts   of those who have been working to get an adjacent   skateboard park.The gates to Senghenydd   playground were shut for two weeks in June to   parents and their children, thanks to vandals who tore   up the flooring to two of   the spring-based rides for   toddlers making the area unsafe and in need of   repair.

  The area has just been repaired but Aber Valley Cllr Paul Ford is now concerned that   the vandals have done more wide-ranging damage as their actions could make it   harder to secure funding for the park which activists have spent around four years   campaigning for in a bid to improve facilities for youngsters in the area.

  “We, as a community, are trying to secure funding to realize the aspirations of the   young people by delivering the recreational facilities that they want. This is   jeopardised by the acts of a mindless minority” said Cllr Paul Ford.

  Pat Bull, committee member of Aber Valley Communities Partnership which is
  one of the organisations behind the scheme, said, “I am totally disgusted that these   vandals have done this. In a matter of minutes they have damaged our efforts to get a   fantastic new skateboard park here. I would appeal to residents living near the   playground to keep a watchful eye on the area and report any suspicious behaviour to   the police. We all need to play out part in building a strong, safe community.”

  The damage to the bases of two of the spring units used by toddlers were repaired at   an estimated cost of £700. Vandalism has already put pay to a swimming pool in the   same area of the village and now the same organizations are hoping to get a   vandal- proof water feature there instead.