Hundreds raised towards CCTV after vandalism attacks at Larne pre-school

Vandals attempted to gain access to a container at Harbour Bears Pre-school.

Damage was caused to the exterior of Harbour Bears Pre-school following the most recent incident on Friday, October 23.

The group is based at Curran Bowling Pavilion while its new premises at the former scout hall is being refurbished.

Writing on their Facebook page last week, the group said: “Most of our loose parts (tree stumps, planks of wood) were found in the surrounding area, broken glass in our play area and the roof of our bug hotel pulled off.

Some of the damage caused by vandals at Harbour Bears Pre-school.

“They also attempted to break in through the back shutter of the building, tried to get the padlocks off our container and pulled piping of the building wall.

“Words cannot describe the feeling of devastation and dismay at this despicable act of vandalism towards us all.”

The pre-school was also targeted in August, with fencing around the outdoor play area broken on two separate occasions.

The damage meant the children were unable to play outside for the first few weeks of term due to the area not being secure.

Damage to the outdoor space at the pre-school.

The fence was later repaired free of charge by Matt Glenn of UpkeepNI.

The fundraising campaign for CCTV was established by Jenna Tennent, whose son attends Harbour Bears. “We are lucky that this happened when the children are off, as there are large pieces of broken glass in the outdoor play area, and many of the loose parts used for outdoor play have been broken or damaged,” she said.

“I feel angry and disappointed for the teachers, as the four ladies who run Harbour Bears put their heart and souls into making it a safe, nurturing environment for our children.

“They do not deserve this at all, and what happens next time if the vandals actually manage to break in to the property? How much will be destroyed?”

Jenna initially set the target for the fundraiser at a modest £300. “When this was met in two hours, I raised it to £750. That evening I raised it to a final £1000, and the current balance is sitting at £1440,” she added.

“Any surplus will be used towards securing [Harbour Bears’] new site by means of a new front door, which will cost in the region of £2500.

“Because the committee has missed out on five large fundraising opportunities this year due to Covid, any donations are going to be instrumental in getting the new building plan back on track. “

Meanwhile, Harbour Bears Pre-school Committee said it was “blown away” by the generous response to the fundraiser.

To donate towards the campaign, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/harbourbearscctv