TEENAGERS who caused destruction in a community park were put to shame by a group of schoolchildren who rallied together to clear up the mess.
Members of Friends of Eastwoods Park walked into the park on Saturday morning to find litter, beer cans and burnt paper strewn across the area, with broken glass left in the tennis courts and a bird table which had been smashed.
The park has been recently brought back to life, with the community group opening the Miners Lamp Community Cafe and Hub last month, while it has also worked with Friends of Prudhoe Woods and Northumberland County Council to improve the games area, trees and floral beds in the park.
In response to the mess left behind, local schoolchildren who visit the cafe, many of which attend the nearby Adderlane Academy, came together with their litter pickers to help members clear the area up.
“They came in and helped clear it up, which was brilliant,” said Friends of Eastwoods Park trustee Russ Greig. “It’s ridiculous to think you have eight or nine year-olds going round cleaning up after 15 and 16 year-olds.
“It’s sad because this is for everyone’s benefit, but it just seems that some people don’t value it.”
Meanwhile local resident Sean Pinion and his son Harry came to the rescue by building a new bird table for the park.
Now the group is considering opting for CCTV cameras, which it hoped would also act as a deterrent.
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