Community hall is trashed again (From Penarth Times)

Community hall is trashed again

A DINAS Powys hall has been trashed by vandals - for the fourth time in four weeks.

Now the charity's organisers say the Murchfield Community Hall, in Sunnycroft Lane, must have increased security measures to stop it becoming a constant target.

Leading event organiser, Rene Gannon, said: "I could have broken down and cried when we found the state the hall was left in.

It was mindless destruction of tables, fire extinguishers and other furniture.

They even smashed biscuits up from the pensioners cupboard and kicked in doors to break the children's toys. "Why do they do it?

I don't understand because it is such an important place for the Dinas community."

The hall, which is used for a wide range of village events covering tots to teens, and youths to pensioners, is a popular local venue.

Vice chairman of the Wednesday Afternoon Club, and member of the society for 27 years, Connie Redclift, said: "The vandals even melted down the dice for our beetle drives.

It is mindless we have been here for a long time and enjoy the hall each week."

The 80 year old added: "The chairman of the building, Tony Prangley, has said that if the costs keep rising we may have to pass the running of the hall back to the Vale of Glamorgan Council."

Cllr Chris Franks told the Times: "I have expressed the need for urgent action on this matter and security measures will be improved.

The problem of vandalism is often associated with the good weather unfortunately.

"It is very demoralising for the people who organise the hall events to have this kind of destruction."