A new community hub in Coupar Angus was vandalised with a swastika just days before its official opening.
Strathmore Community Hub officially opened on October 8 following refurbishment and the building of a new extension which was only completed last month.
What should have been an exciting time for the town was almost ruined after part of the building was vandalised with graffiti just a few days before, between October 1 and 4.
Manager Graeme Dawson phoned the police after finding out what had happened from a member of the public.
He said: “One of the customers came and said to me ‘do you know you have got graffiti on your outside wall?’
“It isn’t a wall I would regularly check. I went outside and that is when I saw it and thought ‘here we go’.
“That was the first I’d heard of it. It was a definite surprise.
“If I hadn’t have been told I don’t know if I would have noticed or seen it. I need to get in the habit of checking that wall.”
It is the first time such an incident has happened at the Trades Lane building.
A former health centre, the building was bought from the NHS in 2017 by the Strathmore Community Hub Trust.
The group then worked on plans to turn it into a community space, with building and decorating work only recently completed.
It is available for use by the community and local groups can hire out rooms.
It officially opened over the weekend with residents and local MSP John Swinney among those in attendance.
‘We’d just finished the building’
The graffiti was covered up by Perth and Kinross Council, with Graeme praising their quick work.
He added: “It is the first time this has happened and it wasn’t even in my head that this was a thing but obviously now it is.
“We’d just finished the building and only got the completion certificate last month.
“The area it happened isn’t covered by our CCTV; I’m not sure why but if it keeps happening we may need to put a camera there.
“The police have it logged and if it happens a lot then there might be something else going on. Now it has happened once it is on the radar.
“Now every time I open that gate I’ll have a wee look just to check.
“With it being only one incident I’m just assuming it was a bit of random vandalism and hope it doesn’t turn into something else.
“Rather than someone with a bit of hate ideology I think it was just someone wanting to put a symbol on a wall.
“They could have went to town so I’m glad it was quite minor in comparison.”
Anyone with information can contact police on 101 quoting reference number CR/79376/22.
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