'Heartbreak' as woodland trail sculptures damaged

Charity staff say they are "heartbroken" after several sculptures were vandalised and one went missing along a woodland trail.

Wooden figures of a hare, fox and ladybird were daubed with pink paint and sculptures of an owl and a squirrel were also damaged, the charity said.

The charity fears a wooden woodpecker which vanished from its spot on a tree trunk along the trail at Westmead Open Space in Chippenham, Wiltshire, was stolen.

CEO of the charity Beth Gardner said the vandalism was "entirely pointless" and "had a big impact on the community". Wiltshire Police said enquiries into the incident were ongoing.

The sculpture trail was started in 2019 with the installation of a wooden owl near the entrance to the green space.

In the years since, local schools have been involved in choosing new animal designs for the trail.

Twelve sculptures were created in all by local artist Ollie Adams, who worked on the project in conjunction with Chippenham Borough Lands Charity.

Volunteers from Chippenham's Men Shed also renovated some of the sculptures over the past year.

"It has been a really lovely project in terms of community engagement.

"So it's so disappointing that this happened. It has had a big impact on the community. It's entirely pointless, entirely futile," Gardener continued.

The charity said it was assessing the full extent of the damage and would then decide on next steps.

The incident was reported to Wiltshire Police, who said the damage was believed to have happened between 17 and 22 April.

A spokesperson said anyone with information should get in touch.

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