Sedgley adventure centre pleads with vandals after latest arson attack
A Dudley outdoor adventure centre has pleaded directly with vandals to stop after an arson attack which destroyed play mats and netting.
Sedgley Adventure Centre, on Sandyfields Road, Sedgley, said staff arrived in the morning to find all of their play mats had been set on fire.
The small, family-run business, which focuses on family fun involving mini golf, woodland walks and lots of animals, took to Facebook to call for action after their perimeter netting and play mats were destroyed by vandals.
Nicola Butler, co-owner of the centre, said: "This is always happening, it's getting ridiculous now.
"These vandals usually get onto the golf course through the public path that runs along the outside. They just get in and then vandalise everything."
The destroyed equipment includes all of the centre's play mats and over £600 worth of perimeter netting.
Ms Butler continued: "They are doing this in a kid's area, we take disabled children around the grounds. It usually isn't this bad but they burnt all of my mats, which means that we had to cancel the activities.
"We had to cancel straight away, and now we have to replace the mats and nets. The mats were £100, but the netting is about £600, we have to find that money now."
The adventure centre is now calling for the vandalism to stop, saying that not only is the equipment getting damaged, but so are the surrounding nature areas.
Ms Butler added: "This is the most severe one, usually they burn the loose logs and things. It does happen quite often, but this is the most severe one.
"That's the frustrating thing though, they keep targeting this area and they do it all over the golf course. One beautiful tree on our golf range is dead now, a huge oak tree, they found a small hole in it and burnt the inside of the tree."
The centre, run by Nicola and Mark Butler, is now pleading for the vandalism to come to an end, saying that it affecting everyone in the area.
"We have also found drug dens down there too, little coves with water bottles and tin foil and stuff, it's so frustrating," said Ms Butler.
"It's dangerous, it needs to stop. We had to cancel the day's activities. I just hope that someone sees this and it stops."
