8 February 2013
During the last week of January a brand new strimmer, lawn mower and an industrial Honda brush cutter were stolen from Shoreham Fort. The charity ‘Friends of Shoreham Fort’ who dedicate much of their time to maintaining and conserving the fort and its grounds were understandably devastated to hear the news.
The Makita strimmer and petrol lawn mower were kindly donated by Nick Neale of Gardner and Scardifield a few months ago.
Gary Baines, Chairman of Friends of Shoreham Fort commented “It is shocking to think that such generosity can be counteracted by someone's selfishness. With these tools and the help of Eddie, who comes from London to cut it, the fort and its grass have never looked so good! Together with Shoreham Port, we have accomplished so much at the fort; it is a great shame to have this set back.”
Shoreham Port, who are the owners of Shoreham Fort, have been on site and put in place increased security on the locks with the aim of reducing accessibility.
Tony Parker, Director of Engineering said “Acts of wanton vandalism and theft of this sort are so dispiriting for the host of people who give up so much of their precious time and energy to look after our national heritage. Shoreham Beach has a very strong community feel and the Fort has many hundreds of visitors, so I would like to appeal to all the good people who share the public and community spirit of the Friends of Shoreham Fort to help us keep an eye on the Ancient Monument so it can stay safe for the enjoyment of all.”
If you would like to discover more about Shoreham Fort and how you can join the Friends of Shoreham Fort please visit www.shorehamfort.co.uk or www.facebook.co.uk/shorehamfort or if you can offer assistance in replacing the stolen items then please email info@shorehamfort.co.uk.
