FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Criminals try to destroy sculpture show
Summer 2005
Bull, by Arthur Fara, a work in springstone, before and after the criminal attack.
FRIENDS of Cannizaro Park and other members of the local community rallied round after drunken hooligans wrecked part of the Zimbabwean sculpture exhibition and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Many valuable works were destroyed when criminals broke into the Italian Garden on the night of 17 June, attacked the exhibition and left empty beer cans lying in their wake. But as word spread of the tragedy the next day and crowds enjoyed the nearby Wimbledon Village Fair, well-wishers arrived and helped the organisers salvage the show.
Curator Vivienne Prince told the Wimbledon Guardian she was determined not to let mindless idiots destroy the exhibition, which has been touring the UK without any problems for five years. She said: "Lots of people have heard about it and have said how upset and disappointed they are. It is really sweet. Everybody has been very supportive.
"The sculptures have come from so far away and we have such hard problems in Zimbabwe, even to do the sculptures in the first place is a big struggle. Some little bastards come and destroy it all in probably what only took half an hour. I spent most of the morning in floods of tears.
"I did open the gates and the public strolled in and I told them we had been vandalised. People helped us put the sculptures back up because we didn't have the manpower to do it unexpectedly. It was this really nice gesture from the public to get it back to its former glory."
Security at Cannizaro Park spurred the formation of the Friends in 1996. Merton Council intended then to leave the gardens unlocked all night, allowing criminals simply to walk in and vandalise the place. Thanks to the Friends' involvement this was avoided but vandalism has continued as an occasional problem. The attack on the sculpture show was the worst incidence and re-emphasised the need for efficient and properly funded security. This would involve reinforced fencing and full-time manning by attendants linked to the police.
However Merton Council leader Andrew Judge responded to the tragedy by saying: "This is not an issue about whether the council provides security or not. The reality is that there are a number of individuals who only care about themselves and their response to others ranges from indifference to destructiveness.
"We will be carrying out a review of security arrangements but no security arrangements can cover everything of value all of the time We will work closely with the police to do everything possible to prevent these selfish individuals from destroying the pleasures of others and to make them responsible for their own actions."
Wimbledon police can be contacted on 020 8649 3191.
For More Information Contact:
Friends of Cannizaro Park
Willow House, 35 High Street, Wimbledon Village, London, SW19 5BY
Email:
tony.matthews@blueyonder.co.uk