Protest group goes ape over vandal attack at playpark

Published on Sunday 7 September 2008 22:20

A TREE-TOP adventure park in Perthshire has been vandalised in an attack being linked to protests targeted at a similar centre proposed for Glasgow's Pollok Park.

Vandals calling themselves Fight for Pollok Park cut three tree-top zip wires and daubed graffiti on trees at the Go Ape park in Aberfoyle last Friday.

The attack happened two days after the Scottish Government refused to step in to halt the same company building a controversial Go Ape adventure course in Glasgow.

Staff at the Aberfoyle adventure centre found the vandalism on Saturday morning while carrying out routine safety checks before the playground opened.

They discovered the zip wires had been cut half way down.

Graffiti saying "Go Away Ape" and signed FFPP had been daubed on trees.

According to staff, similar graffiti had been written at Pollok Park several months ago.

It is believed the graffiti and initials FFPP, which stand for Fight for Pollok Park, were written by a splinter campaign group at Pollok Park at the start of the summer and that the attacks are linked.

Last night, Bill Fraser, spokesman for Save Pollok Park, distanced himself from the vandals.

He said: "We absolutely condemn vandalism of any sort, particularly if it could put lives at risk. We have never campaigned against Go Ape as an activity, just its location in Pollok Park which we think is unsuitable. Anyone carrying out such acts of vandalism has no place in our campaign."

The Glasgow Go Ape development, which would be the latest in a chain of 17 adventure playgrounds featuring slides and high rope walkways, has attracted fierce opposition.

The Save Pollok Park campaign attracted 900 written objections, and 4,000-signatures on a petition when the planning application was submitted.

The scheme, passed by the city's planning department in March, was referred to Holyrood as Glasgow City Council, which would be paid for leasing the land, had a financial interest in the venture.

Objectors, backed by Nicola Sturgeon, the deputy First Minister, had hoped the decision would be called in.

However, last Wednesday ministers said they would not do so and the council, will have the final say.

Tristram Mayhew, chief executive of Go Ape said:

"As a matter of routine, all Go Ape courses are checked thoroughly by staff each day before they can be used by any member of the public.

"It was during these checks that the issues at Aberfoyle came to light.

"However I am pleased to say that repairs are under way and the course should be back to normal by the early part of this week."

Patrick Harvie, Green MSP for Glasgow, who opposed the plan, said: "There is no excuse for any vandalism especially in anything that puts visitors at risk.

"Greens remain opposed to the Pollok Park scheme because of its location but in the right place Go Ape is an excellent way of getting kids out into Scotland's countryside."

A spokesman for Central Scotland Police said "We are currently investigating a report of vandalism at these premises."