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A fundraiser has been launched to replace £2,000 of trees that were carelessly damaged in what has been dubbed a ‘tragic act of vandalism’ at a Sheffield park.

The Friends of Woodseats Playground group has launched a Crowd Funder following the news that a number of newly planted trees had been ‘attacked’ - leaving three completely snapped at the trunk, and a further two bent.

It is believed that the vandalism occurred on the evening of Wednesday, September 18.

The Friends group shared they were “devastated” on social media, adding that they would be altering the incident to the police and local schools.

A number of young trees were snapped and damaged by vandals at a Sheffield playground. | Friends of Woodseats Playground

The trees had been planted as part of a £70,000 refurbishment of the playground which was only completed in the summer, and was overseen by volunteers.

The funding, from Veolia Environmental Trust, and supported by Sheffield Parks and Countryside, had been used to reduce the amount of asphalt, and to provide new play equipment and planting, including the damaged trees.

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The volunteers that manage the park have shared that the trees will cost £2,000 to remove and replace in order to make the park "beautiful again". | Friends of Woodseats Playground

David Kemp, chair of Friends of Woodseats Playground, said: "The damage to the new trees is extremely disappointing given the positive response we have had from the community following the completion of the latest step in our plans for the park.

"We have sought to make the park more inclusive for all ages and abilities and to make the space greener and more pleasant to spend longer in. Damage like this shows that some people in the community do not understand the effort and cost required to try to make things better for all.

"As a community, we will work together to replace the trees and raise awareness about how projects like this are delivered to try to prevent episodes like this in the future".

At the time of writing, the Crowd Funder has so far raised £100 of its £2,000 target to make the playground “beautiful again”.

If anyone has information about the vandalism, please call South Yorkshire Police on 101.

Graves Park: Fury as trees snapped in ‘tragic act of vandalism’ at newly £70k refurbished Sheffield playground