29/05/2026
Edit: More vandelism has been carried out with the setting fire to the very bins our staff have built to allow the public to dispose of there rubbish, however, we now have descriptions of the individuals and we have been passed names.
If your children were around Forest Cottage on Friday Night at Around 7pm and were wearing a Grey Jacket and Black Shorts and carrying a Man Bag, or was dressed in a Black Jacket and Black shorts, then it might be about time you started taking an interest in what they are doing on an evening, and you may find the police want a chat with them regsrding a case of Arson. Yes, the CCTV recording has been passed to the police for them to pursue.
***ORIGONAL POST***
Its disappointing that we have to write this post, however the situation is now getting beyond a joke.
Recently, a large number of children / teenagers have been congregating at the rear of Forest Cottage on the fields. This in itself is of no concern.
What is a concern is the actions of these individuals.
This week, the Fire Service have had to attend the centre on almost every evening due to the stupidity of some of these individuals who have been deliberately starting fires. Let’s be clear on this, before we get the usual “there only kids having fun” comments. This is not fun; this is a deliberate act of starting a fire with the intention of destroying property. This is the criminal act of Arson. For clarity, for the keyboard warriors out there, this can apply to the burning of buildings, vehicles, forests or other structures. They are also putting at risk the houses that back onto the fields and the people who live in those houses.
The risks aside, these idiots are tying up members of the fire service who may be needed at a more serious incident such as a crash, house fire, or other situation where someone’s life is at risk. If your children have been down at Forest Cottage this week on an evening, then you might want to point out stupidity of the actions of the persons who have been starting these fires. Also, ask yourself, do you want your child associating with an arsonist?
This week, we have also found large amounts or rubbish including broken glass bottles on the football pitches. Our staff and volunteers are NOT there to clean up after the individuals who are leaving this rubbish. We do leave bags around for the rubbish therefore, if you are using the site, stop being lazy, take some responsibility and put your rubbish in the bags.
The centre has CCTV which does work, and recordings are kept as required by law. The above incidents have been reported to the police, and we will be making the CCTV available to them which shows these groups of youths to identify those who are involved.
Many parents in the area have children who play football here and they would not be happy if their child received a cut from broken glass which is on the pitches and neither would you if your child played there and got injured due to the actions above.
