Derbyshire youth forest project hit by spate of vandalism

Young people have designed and delivered numerous features at the forest project

Vandalism and an arson attack on a Derbyshire nature project has left The Woodland Trust with a repair bill of more than £5,000.

Vandals targeted the Young People's Forest at Mead, near Heanor, in a string of incidents between 25 April and 5 May.

The trust initially carried out repairs but said it was forced to contact the police after several incidents.

It called the vandalism a "menace to conservation efforts".

A new outdoor classroom, a bench, and a large viewing platform, all designed by young people, were left needing repairs.

A bench was set fire to, the trust said

The Woodland Trust acquired the 400-acre (162-hectare) plot, a former open cast mining site called Mead, next to Shipley County Park in 2018.

Young volunteers from across the county then stepped in to help plant 250,000 trees and have continued to design new features at the forest.

Emily Moore, the Woodland Trust's youth development manager, said "until recently" the forest had been "lucky" not to have been hit by vandalism.

"It's just as we've introduced some new features at the site that we've been targeted," she said.

After a wall panel was kicked down at the site, the trust had it repaired, only to find it was targeted again.

"It's going to cost a bit more than £5,000 now, for the repairs," Ms Moore said.

The trust has been forced to close the viewing platform for now

The trust has also installed CCTV cameras at the site in a bid to deter vandals at an added, ongoing cost.

Despite the negative attention the site has had in recent weeks, Ms Moore said the response from volunteers, visitors, and the public had been a "silver lining".

Derbyshire Police said it received a report about the incidents on 29 April.

A spokesperson said: "Although the investigation is not currently active, we would urge any witnesses or anyone with any information about the damage to contact us."