Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Vandalism fears could scupper plans for a men’s shed at Pittencrieff Park in Dunfermline

Pittencrieff Park.

Hopes for a men’s shed at Pittencrieff Park, in Dunfermline, have been sunk by the threat of vandalism.

Members of a new steering committee set up to develop the idea say they were told any new building or machinery installed in the park will just be wrecked.

Pittencrieff Park has been targeted by vandals over several years.
Pittencrieff Park, Dunfermline.

The warning follows several incidents of anti-social behaviour at Pittencrieff Park, known locally as The Glen.

Fire-setting, the uprooting of trees and event attempts to shoot the famous peacocks are among the “sickening” incidents reported.

Dunfermline Men’s Shed committee members met representatives of Fife Council and senior park staff last week to discuss their plans.

Even the peacocks were targeted.

However, a shed spokesman said: “They generously offered us spaces in various buildings for our weekly meetings.

“But they told us in no uncertain terms to forget all about our ideas for a purpose-built shed in The Glen.

“They informed us, as a matter of fact, that any machinery of any value we installed would immediately be stolen and that, if it was made of wood, the shed would be burned down to the ground in six months at most.”

The spokesman added: “We were horrified at the scale of vandalism and anti-social behaviour they described – buildings wrecked and burnt, plants and trees uprooted, attempts to shoot the peacocks and set them on fire. It’s sickening.”

Back to the drawing board

A men’s shed is a recreational area where men can work together on their own and community projects.

And they are also recognised as helping to combat social isolation and mental health problems among men.

Plans for a shed in Dunfermline have been gathering pace over several months.

However, members have gone back to the drawing board in their bid to find a suitable location.

“We were hoping to bring real enhancements to The Glen,” the spokesman said.

“We had ideas for helping to maintain the memorial benches, some of which are in a sad state of repair.

“And we have been talking about creating a tool library and a community repair service.

“It’s deeply discouraging that such promising plans should be wrecked for such shameful reasons.”

Pittencrieff Park vandals ‘shouldn’t win’

Police have stepped up patrols at Pittencrieff Park several times over the last five years.

And they have investigated incidents including trees, benches and litter bins being set on fire.

These incidents are said to have been sporadic rather than constant but they sparked concern.

The Andrews Carnegie statue at Pittencrieff Park.

However, Dunfermline Labour councillor Helen Law is determined to carry on with the plan for the men’s shed.

“We can’t shut up shop and go home because we’re scared there’s going to be a bit of vandalism,” she said.

“The vandals shouldn’t win. We need to find a way of protecting things.”

Mrs Law is continuing talks with the shed committee and park staff in the hope of finding a solution.

“I’m really committed to helping them find a solution.”

Councillor Helen Law.

“I’m very, very keen that we do set something up in the glen,” she said.

“The men’s shed is a great thing and I pay tribute to the guys who are trying to make it happen.

“I’m really committed to helping them find a solution.

“The park has great potential and I see the men’s shed as being key to that.”

A police spokesperson added: “Community officers regularly carry out patrols in and around the area of Pittencrieff Park.

“If there are acts of vandalism being carried out, we need these reported directly to the police via 101 so officers can act accordingly.”