Vandals ruin Halloween treasure hunt again
A HALLOWEEN treasure hunt for families in the Garw Valley has been targeted by vandals for the second year in a row.
Organised by the Garw Valley Community Council, the event sees a number of bats placed around the villages of Bettws, Blaengarw, Llangeinor and Pontycymer, with children searching for them and writing down the spooky words written on them.
Two children from each village with the most words then win a prize.
Last year councillors put toy bats up in the area but these went missing, prompting this year’s wooden bats and involvement from local schools.
Blaengarw ward councillor Sorrel Dendy said: “It’s heartbreaking to see the work destroyed. I made all 100 bats by hand, cutting them out from MDF and sanding them.
“We decided this year to get children involved so hopefully we would avoid having any damage
“All the local primary schools in the Garw Valley were given bats to decorate, with each ward having 20 bats hidden.
“Some of the lower ones I would have expected to disappear but some I put up with a ladder and even they’ve been torn down with the bits scattered. Lots are missing as well.”
Nine out of 20 bats in Blaengarw are missing, with five having already gone in Llangeinor.
Councillors are currently counting those in Pontycymer and Bettws.
They were only put up on Monday.
Cllr Dendy said: “Several of them were fixed on with cable ties, so it does appear to be deliberate.
“It was supposed to be a nice community thing, something that everyone can take part in – there are some parents who can’t take their children to every Halloween party going because the costs are too high.
“Last year we had over 30 treasure hunt forms in from Blaengarw alone – it’s a nice thing for parents to do with their kids, especially at holiday time.”
“Unfortunately, they’ve been destroyed.
“It’s just sad really, and disappointing for younger children.”
She added: “We hope the kids can still get involved with the ones that are still around.
“And we are going to keep persevering. We will be back again next year with more bats – the community council will just need to buy more MDF next time.”
Cllr Dendy said she would be raising the issue with local police at the next community council meeting. the