Damage at Rowntree Park garden in York is condemned

Friends of Rowntree Park said it was “really upsetting” to find the damage in the park on Sunday morning (September 13).

A spokesperson for charity said three rowan trees, planted last year and worth around £80 to £100 each, have been “snapped and pulled apart” in the park’s Friends Railed Garden.

A tree which has been snapped in Rowntree Park, York (Image: Friends of Rowntree Park)

Pampas grass has also “been torn out and strewn around the garden, alongside a considerable amount of rubbish and cannabis-related paraphernalia”, they said.

The spokesperson said the vandalism has been reported to North Yorkshire Police and urged anyone with information about the damage – as well as any other anti-social behaviour in the park – to contact the force.

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They said the rowan trees, which can grow to 15m in height and live for up to 200 years, were donated to Friends of Rowntree Park last year and planted by its volunteers.

“While there is a financial cost to replacing [the rowan trees], the real cost is much greater,” the Friends of Rowntree Park spokesperson said.

“Someone donated those trees, volunteers gave their time to plant and care for them, and now more volunteer time will be spent clearing up and trying to repair the damage.”

Litter left in Rowntree Park, York (Image: Friends of Rowntree Park)

They said the vandalism overnight into Sunday came after the park faced “increasing problems in this particular area over the last few months, including regular litter and graffiti”.

“Whoever was responsible, deliberately destroying trees and plants in a community garden is incredibly disappointing,” they said.

“We don’t have CCTV in the park. We do report incidents of antisocial behaviour to the police, and this damage has also been reported.

“If you witness antisocial behaviour, deliberate damage or drug-related activity in the park, please report it to the police too.

“Individual reports help build a picture of what is happening and when, and hopefully help make the case for more community policing and evening patrols in and around the park.”

They added: “Rowntree Park belongs to all of us.

“The Friends Railed Garden is cared for largely by people giving their time for free. It’s incredibly frustrating to see that work deliberately destroyed for no reason.

“A huge thank you, as always, to the volunteers who keep turning up and caring for this space.”