Floral features ruined by heartless vandals
Anger after community group planters robbed
Mindless vandals have attacked floral displays organised by a community group to brighten up Eaglesham.
Planters are filled annually by The Regeneration of Eaglesham’s Environment (TREE), however last week some of the newly-planted flowers were ripped out.
The vandals targeted the planters near the Eglinton Arms and robbed them of some bedding plants.
The damage comes after TREE organisers missed out on one of their main funding grants towards the clean-up work they do in the village.
The group had requested a grant of around £8000 from the East Renfrewshire Council Windfarm grant but were tuned down, leaving their work over the summer in the lurch.
The TREE team had previously received a grant in 2012 which has helped fund them until this point, and it was hoped the grant this year would keep the group going for a further two years.
A statement on the TREE Facebook page read: “This is very sad. Please keep your eyes open for any other vandalism you see and let us know.
“I am just dismayed as this is the first attack that we have suffered.
“Not the end of the world but a bit pathetic!”
Dodie Mitchell, who is a member of the TREE team, also expressed her anger at the vandalism: “Disappointed that some pathetic person has dug up some of the plants from our planters nearest the Eglinton Arms.
“If anyone received plants which are not in pots they can guess where they came from.”
Residents from across Eaglesham expressed their anger at the damage on social media, with Joyce Jackson Montgomery commenting: “Sorry this has happened as the planters are beautiful and really make a difference.”
Jennifer Paton can’t believe people in the village are doing this, adding: “I’ve heard of other places where baskets are padlocked on and planters and ornaments in gardens fixed down to avoid theft, and newly planted shrubs and trees are stolen.
“I never thought it would happen here.”
Sandra Middleton also said: “Shocking, senseless vandalism.”
Every year TREE fill the planters around the village with new and bright plants.
They also conduct weeding and tidy-up days around the village, in particular around the bus stops.