SCORES of plants, put into baskets along the River Freshney by young people from the community, have been ripped up in an overnight trail of destruction.
The team at Projekt Renewable – the renewables hub located next to Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre – arrived this morning (Tuesday) to find that all the £1,000-worth of plants in 80 containers had been pulled out.
The containers, which line the riverbank, were left empty with just soil scattered on the ground. Each one of the containers is personalised with the name of the child who planted it – more than 100 young people were involved, in an initiative called Plant + Paddle that was facilitated by Projekt Renewable and Target NEL and sponsored by The Crown Estate.
Now there is a plea for local people, communities or commercial gardeners, garden or DIY centres to rally around if they could possibly donate to ensure the boxes are filled back in again. The money for the original planting had come from sponsorship by The Crown Estate to encourage children to learn about natural habitat and bio-diversity
Projekt director Richard Askam, said: “I am simply lost for words, the children are going to be devastated when they hear about what has happened. This act may have destroyed the planters themselves, but it will not have tarnished the memory the children have of creating them or the skills they learnt on the day.
“People may well be quick to say ‘well, what did you expect’, but if no one tried, nothing will change. We will keep replanting, and keep working to make our pocket of Grimsby something special for the very people who created these planters in the first place.”
North East Lincolnshire Council’s Safer Towns and Communities team are reviewing CCTV and looking at what measures can be taken to improve security in that area. The Council is one of many Projekt supporters.
Richard, who has also informed the Police, added: “We are doing something really special here at Projekt. Along with our supporters, the work we are doing is helping to open people’s eyes to the ohat now exist in North East Lincolnshire. Young people, particularly, are learning about renewables and just how they can be inspired to get involved and have good future careers in our town.
“When people visit, we want them to experience a nice environment, and so decided to involve the community in planting the flowers – it looked lovely and lots of people have commented on how much they’ve brightened up the area.”
If anyone can support Projekt Renewable and get these planters blooming again, please contact Richard by email on [email protected]
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