A charitable trust set up to restore an Aberdeenshire beauty spot was left “sad and disappointed” after their efforts were recently destroyed by vandals.
For more than six years, volunteers have been hard at work to revamp the derelict Ellon Castle and its gardens, which once formed the centrepiece of the town.
The gardens, which were built around some of the country’s oldest collections of ancient yew trees – some thought to be up to 800 years old – were gifted to the people of Ellon in 2014 having fallen into disrepair.
Since then, the board of trustees have been working hard to rejuvenate the historic site and bring the gardens back to their former splendour.
But for the last four months, the volunteers’ efforts have fallen victim to “various different incidents” on several occasions – with vandals repeatedly causing havoc at the popular beauty spot.
Chairwoman of the Ellon Castle Gardens Trust, Alison Craigon, said: “Ellon Castle Gardens is a wonderful place for the whole community to enjoy.
“Our volunteers are working hard to restore it to its former glory and we are disappointed by the recent vandalism.
“We encourage anyone using the Deer Park or neighbouring woodland to look out for antisocial behaviour in the gardens and report it to the police.”
‘People have set it as their target to destroy their efforts’
The first of a series of incidents took place on August 14, when a bench was extensively damaged by being thrown from the top of a nearby wall into the middle of the gardens.
Just two weeks later on August 29, various plants within the garden area were then ripped out, damaged and thrown around overnight.
People were also reported to have removed a padlock from one of the garden gates and broken entry to the compost area on August 31.
The historic site was once again targeted on November 7, when people broke into a shed within the garden, set paper towels on fire and destroyed the nearby chicken fencing.
Officers have now launched an appeal for information to piece together what happened and track those responsible.
A spokeswoman for the board of trustees added: “We are sad that this hidden gem in the heart of Ellon has been the victim of vandalism in recent weeks.
“It’s a unique local resource, being developed for the local community by the local community through the hard work of volunteers.”
Anyone who may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to get in touch with constable Morrison A0283 on 101, quoting reference number CF0265171121.
Alternatively, people can file a report anonymously on the Crimestoppers’ website or on 0800 555 111.