The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Vandals torch city gardening charity’s shed
Police are investigating after a shed belonging to a group of Perth volunteer gardeners was torched.
The burnt-out structure contained all of the Beautiful Perth charity’s tools and equipment.
Officers say they believe the blaze was started deliberately.
Now volunteers face a scramble for gear as they approach one of their busiest periods of the year.
The attack happened in Rodney Gardens early on Saturday morning – one of a number of city sites maintained by Beautiful Perth.
A passer-by spotted smoke coming from the riverside beauty spot and called 999.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze around 4am and police are hunting for the culprits.
Beautiful Perth chairman Gordon Lindsay is urging anyone with information to come forward.
“It’s a real mess,” he said. “Basically everything we use was in there.
“I don’t know why anyone would do something so pointless. We’re all volunteers, so that makes it even more frustrating.”
The shed was sited behind the former Rodney Pavilion gym in the gardens, off the Dundee Road.
It also contained protective clothing, wheelbarrows, brushes and other equipment.
Mr Lindsay said the vandalism could not have come at a worse time.
The group is responsible for the upkeep of Rodney Gardens itself, but it also maintains sites across the city centre, including the flowerbeds in Tay Street and containers around the new Perth Museum.
“This is a really busy time for us,” he said.
“Fortunately we have insurance so we should be able to claim for what was lost, but that still leaves us without tools in the interim.
“One of the guys kept one or two spades in the boot of his car so that is something, but I am not sure what else we might be able to salvage.”
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “The fire is being treated as wilful and inquiries are ongoing.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman added: “There were no reported casualties and crews left the scene at 4am after ensuring the area was made safe.”
The shed has been broken into twice since Live Active Leisure closed its gym in the Rodney Pavilion in Rodney Gardens, but this is the most damaging incident to date.
Beautiful Perth was already contemplating a move to a new site after the Rodney Pavilion was put up for sale last summer.
A group of local business people are spearheading a bid to purchase the pavilion and reopen it for community use.
Their plan is for a gym and mental health cafe, as well as space for new businesses to grow.
It’s understood to be one of a number of interested parties.
Perth and Kinross Council has said offers will be presented to the property sub-committee to decide a preferred bidder this spring.