VANDALS have destroy-ed brand new hand-carved ‘leaf labels’ that formed a tree trail around Victoria Park, days after they had been installed.
Last week, Frome Town Council discovered that vandals had uprooted the ‘leaf labels’ handmade by artist Richard Chisnall, destroying some and using others to cause damage to the bowling green.
Because of the damage caused, the tree trail is unlikely to open this summer as planned.
In a statement, Frome Town Council said, “We’re shocked and saddened to report the beautiful, hand-crafted tree labels, the first step in the launch of our new tree trail, were all vandalised overnight – as was the bowling green.
“We, and in particular the artist Richard Chisnall, put a lot of hard work, care and passion into this project and we have all found this incredibly disheartening.”
Environment manager, Chris Stringer, echoed the council’s disappointment. “Sad and angry to report that our new trail tree in Victoria Park was vandalised overnight – along with the bowling green and the toilets.
“The hand-made tree labels had only been in a few days – and the plan was to launch the trail this summer, offering little people (and grown-ups) something free to do and encouraging everyone to explore and discover more in the park.
“Sadly, the tree trail is highly unlikely to open this summer – but we may revisit the idea again in the future.”
The tree trail was to be made up of arboretum-type labels to help enthusiasts and amateurs identify trees of interest, alongside the hand-carved ‘leaf labels’ for children.
