AN APPEAL has been launched to raise funds to replace a £48,000 playground fort which was destroyed in an arson attack last month.
Jane Blayney, of the Friends of Valley Gardens, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, said a large number of people had expressed their upset over the attack on the wooden structure - which attracts families from a wide area - on October 8.
The friends group said while Harrogate Borough Council’s insurers have settled the claim, the authority’s insurance excess is £5,000, so without extra funds replacing the structure could prove problematic.
She said: “Like the council, we want to act quickly to fully reinstate this much-loved and admired playground.”
Councillor Caroline Bayliss, Cabinet Member for Cultural Services for Harrogate Borough Council, said: “The fort was the centrepiece of the play area and we want the replacement to have the same wow factor.”
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