A panel from the Great Tapestry of Scotland has been stolen while on display in Fife.
Fife Cultural Trust said the section, which depicts the story of Rosslyn Chapel, was taken from Kirkcaldy Galleries at about 10am on Thursday.
Officials there are now appealing for information to help track down the missing panel and are helping police scour CCTV footage.
The tapestry aims to tell the story of Scotland’s history through 160 individual panels, running to a length of 143 metres long.
Alexander McCall Smith, co-chairman of The Great Tapestry of Scotland, said: “This is a terrible blow for a project that has brought so much joy to so many people.
“I appeal to those who have taken this panel to return it. Words cannot express how shocked I am that somebody should damage in this way what is now widely seen as a great national treasure.”
One of the biggest community arts projects in the world, the tapestry was created by Mr McCall Smith, artist Andrew Crummy and historical writer Alistair Moffat.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=aI1s8fFl4uw%3Frel%3D0
It took 1,000 volunteers more than 50,000 hours to complete, using a range of embroidery skills and over 300 miles of woollen yarn.For more on this story, see Saturday’s Courier