Castlecaulfield '˜buzzing' again in spite of flower vandals

Members of the public, council staff and local police have all been praised for their efforts in helping repair vandalised floral displays in the Castlecaulfield area.
By The Newsroom
Published 28th Jul 2016, 10:58 BST
Updated 28th Jul 2016, 11:59 BST
One of the beautiful and colourful displays erected by Castlecaulfield Horticultural SocietyOne of the beautiful and colourful displays erected by Castlecaulfield Horticultural Society
One of the beautiful and colourful displays erected by Castlecaulfield Horticultural Society

The destruction of the displays at Parkanaur on Monday night past was the latest in a number of incidents which saw the beautiful work of Castlecaulfield Horticultural Society cruelly targeted over recent weeks.

And after the society published photos showing the extent of the damage to the Parkanur displays, messages and offers of support flooded in from the local community.

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Dungannon police have also been helping the society, as well as staff from Mid Ulster District Council’s Technical Services department.

Efforts to clear up the mess left by those responsible for the latest incident have been even more keenly focused, as the dates for judging in the Ulster in Bloom and Britain in Bloom competitions approach.

Speaking to the TIMES, Bob McClure, Castlecaulfield Horticultural Society spokesperson, explained how grateful the organisation is for the support shown to them.

“This latest incident at Parkanaur has been very disappointing”, said Mr McClure. “We have no idea who was behind it but it has been reported to police.

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“We have been working very hard over the winter and indeed all year, but we’ve been very active over this last couple of months, even working to 2am some days to get the place looking great. We have never had any problems like this before.

“Judging takes place in Britain in Bloom and Ulster in Bloom soon so we are working to get everything back to how it was, and we have been very heartened by the support of the community, Dungannon Police, the Technical Services department of the council, particularly Paul Kennedy and John McRoberts. Castlecaulfield is a great village, it is just buzzing at the moment, it was just like a carnival atmosphere when we were out working on Saturday night.”

Castlecaulfield Horticultural Society will host its annual Festival on 20 August, with special guest Cecilia Daly, BBC weather expert, presenting the awards.

Donations to support the work of the organisation can be made via the society’s Facebook page and are gratefully received.

Related topics:Ulster