Vandals target trail made for boy killed in blast

The mother of a schoolboy killed in a house explosion has pleaded with vandals to stop tearing up a beauty spot which is being turned into a lasting tribute to her son.

A nature trail is being created at Woolsington's Parish Ponds in memory of Archie York, the seven-year-old who died in a blast which destroyed his home in Benwell, Newcastle, in October 2024.

It is hoped the "Forever 7" trail will be completed next month to mark what would have been Archie's ninth birthday, but the area has been plagued by anti-social behaviour.

Archie's mother Katherine Errington said: "I hope that when the walk does open then this will stop these people going to that area, because I don't want it spoiled."

Anti-social behaviour is thought to have escalated since January with about £6,000 worth of damage being done around the Parish Ponds over the last nine months.

A memorial bench dedicated to Archie has already been damaged by a disposable barbecue, off-road motorbikes and quad bikes have been seen tearing up grass, and wooden gates into the park have been ripped off and set alight in a bonfire.

Errington asked the perpetrators to show respect and allow the area to become a place where families from across Tyneside can enjoy spending time together, just as her son did there.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I don't want them to win, they have probably been doing this for years, going in there and tearing up the place."

Errington said the family used to go on walks around the pond and they chose it as a reminder of how nice the community and the area is.

Archie was killed in a devastating explosion caused by an illegal drugs factory operating in the flat beneath his family home.

Woolsington Parish Council has been working to make improvements around the ponds for the last four years, under a project backed with funding from Northumbrian Water.

A spokesman for the parish council said: "There have been a series of incidents caused by motorbikes and quad bikes at the Parish Ponds, the site that is to be used for Forever 7: Archie's Nature Trail.

"This is resulting in considerable degradation to the landscape and wildlife habitat.

"There has also been criminal damage to the gates, fencing and community seating areas which form part of this Nature Area."

The spokesperson said the site was a deeply important space for both Archie's family and the wider community and asked people to respect the Parish Ponds area and help preserve it from damage.

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