A north-east cancer charity has slammed vandals who have knocked over a lighthouse structure that featured as part of an annual fundraising campaign.
Banchory’s entry to the Light The North lighthouse trail has been uprooted and thrown from its stand.
Featuring as one of 50 structures dotted from Aberdeen to Shetland, charity representatives are “disappointed” that this act of vandalism has transpired.
Light the North project director Fiona Fernie said: “We were very disappointed to be informed that the ‘Let There BEE Light’ lighthouse sculpture in Bellfield Park, Banchory, was pushed over yesterday.”
The ‘Let There BEE Light’ sculpture was designed and created by Lois Carson and sponsored by The Banchory Light.
She added: “To date, the north-east has embraced and looked after all 50 lighthouses across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Orkney and Shetland, and we have not had any other reported incidents.”
At the end of this year’s Light The North sculpture trail, which began in August, all the main lighthouses will be auctioned off to raise funds for the charity.
Charity members have warned that given the scale and weight of the bespoke art piece, toppling it was not only dangerous but a risk to cancer support funds.
Any damage to the pieces could impact their value at auction.
The inability to auction any of these pieces due to irreparable damage would mean loss of potential income at a time when it is needed most.
Members of the charity visited the site today to assess the damage with the hopes that it is minimal and can be rectified.
However, no matter how small the damage, they have said that it will “take time and money to fix.”
Ms Fernie added: “The lighthouse trail is a great way to get out there to support a cherished local charity and reconnect with the beautiful people and communities we have across the north-east and Northern Isles. There are still several weeks to make your way around the trail before the ‘Farewell Weekend’ on October 29, 30 and 31.”
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