Lena-Zaharah MohammedBBC Wales
Katie Underwood
Neighbours have offered to share CCTV and doorbell footage to help identify those responsible
Children have been left “really upset” after seeing their pumpkins smashed and “garden disrespected”.
Mrs Puddleducks, a children’s nursery in Rassau, Blaenau Gwent, has been left a “mess” after vandals broke into its garden, damaging sheds, fences and pumpkins brought in by the children.
Gwent Police said they were investigating the burglary and appealed for anyone with information.
Parents have since rallied together, offering help and donations to repair the damage.
While doing her routinely morning checks of the garden attached to the pre-school room, staff member Charlotte Whitehorn noticed that the two shed doors “were busted open… and that’s when [she] knew something was wrong”.
“We went out to have a look and it was just a mess.”
The children’s homework was to bring in a pumpkin for Halloween-themed activities and sensory play but all were found smashed on the shed floor.
She added: “Some of the children who were at the door when we were removing the pumpkins from the shed had said ‘Oh no the babies have smashed our pumpkins’ and we didn’t have the heart to tell them any different.”
Katie Underwood
Staff at Mrs Puddleducks Day Nursery said the break-in over the weekend caused “significant upset” among pupils and staff
Katie Underwood, deputy manager at the nursery, described the garden as “a special place where our children learn, play and grow together”, adding that “it’s in use all day, everyday and this has just hindered the free-flow of the children”.
Staff are now left dreading the weekend, with no CCTV footage or sufficient funds to make fixes, Katie and the team have been left wondering if they’re going to come back and do it again.
“They took the locks on the shed, so now we’re facing the fear of them coming back and causing even more damage.”
Katie Underwood
Vandals left playground goods strewn across the place
Lola, 10, was one of the students who carved the pumpkins but on Monday she “saw them all smashed on the ground”.
She said: “It makes me feel upset because we really respect our garden…
She added she was “really sad to see it getting disrespected”, but was “happy and excited to see people trying to help”.
Katie Underwood
Lola attends the nursery on school days and during the holidays
Despite the setback, nursery staff said they had been overwhelmed by the kindness of people in response.
The attack has prompted a wave of support from the local community, with parents and locals donating.
Ms Underwood said: “We’ve had bags upon bags of pumpkins delivered. Lots of people offering to help.
“One parent has set up a fundraiser, we’ve even had a parent bring money to the door.
“[We] didn’t expect this at all, we’re really pleased and grateful.”
Charlotte Schofield
Charlotte Schofield is a parent who has sent all three of her children to Mrs Puddleducks
Parents of children who attend the nursery have spoken of their sadness and frustration following the break-in.
“The mind boggles that people behave that way. It’s just mindless and there’s no thought to the impact it has on others” said Charlotte Schofield, whose 10-month-old attends Mrs Puddleducks.
“When I heard what had happened at the nursery, the kids were in bed and I went straight to ASDA and filled my trolley with pumpkins… I ended up with about 15 replacement pumpkins and took them in on the Tuesday morning.”
She said that due to Mrs Puddleducks being a non-profit nursery, “they haven’t got bags and bags of money like a lot of the private nurseries do”.
Ms Schofield believes the vandals are “obviously bored with nothing else to do” adding that she “feels for them that there’s not loads of activities in the area to keep them preoccupied”.
“You’ve got the oldest children in the nursery who helped out in this enriching activity and now to come in and they’re all gone… I can only imagine at two to three-years-old, that would be crushing.”
“How do you explain to kids that age that there are unkind people and they’ve destroyed their work?”
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