Farm volunteers devastated as vandals drain pond

A community farm that supports young people with learning difficulties said volunteers had been left "devastated" after a newly-sunk pond was vandalised twice in one weekend.

The pond, a habitat for newts and frogs, was drained of water when the lining was slit by trespassers at Heeley City Farm in Sheffield.

The vandals damaged the pond on both 23 and 24 May, shortly after it had been created by volunteers aged 16-24.

Chief executive Sarah Wild said: "It perhaps makes some people feel like their work has been wasted and like it didn't have much value."

The farm provides green spaces and access to education, training, employment and wellbeing support through activities such as animal care and gardening.

In a post on Facebook, the charity said plants purchased especially for the habitat "were ripped up" and as frogs and newts had begun returning, the destruction was "even more heartbreaking".

The pond was dug as a calm area for visitors to enjoy and somewhere nature could thrive in the heart of the city.

The project had previously secured about £5,000 in funding and a Facebook appeal for help to repair the damage had raised more than £4,000.

The post continued: "It is incredibly disheartening when so many people are working tirelessly to improve the farm and create better facilities for the community."

It said vandalism incidents "drain already scarce time and resources" and cause fear about future projects and improvements also being targeted.

"We are so proud of our volunteers and everything they achieved.

"Their hard work created something beautiful, and although right now we are heartbroken, we are determined that this will not take away the passion and community spirit behind the project."

Wild said volunteers had dedicated "hundreds of hours" over 12 months to create the pond area and the incidents had left them "shocked".

"We were just seeing the frogs and the newts and the wildlife coming back to it," she said.

"A really big thank you to everybody [for their support]," she added.

The BBC has approached South Yorkshire Police for comment.

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