THE vandalism of a newly-refurbished beer garden at Ardoyne Kickhams GAC has been described as “an attack on the entire community”.
The incident happened between closure on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Staff came into work on Tuesday morning to discover the beer garden vandalised with every flower, hanging basket and plant either destroyed or stolen.
The facility had recently been refurbished and opened to welcome punters back following the Covid-19 lockdown.
Stephen McVicker, who runs the bar at the club described the attack as a “kick in the teeth”.
“We recently got the beer garden refurbished and done up and really put a lot of effort and hard work into it,” he explained.
“It was looking very nice and welcoming with all the plants and hanging baskets on display
“It was a kick in the teeth to come in and see someone had destroyed it. It is very disappointing.”
Chairman, Philip McTaggart said those responsible need to take a long and hard look at themselves.
“Everyone put their heart and soul into it to get it ready for welcoming people back to the club after lockdown,” he added.
“We wanted to make it an area to ensure a comfortable experience, have a drink and a chat and following the government guidelines around social distancing
“What does it say that there are people in the community who would come into our club and not only vandalise the beer garden but steal stuff as well.
“The people that done this need to take a long and hard look at themselves.
“We condemn these acts of vandalism and destruction at our club. We are asking all members, players, parents and the wider Ardoyne community to be vigilant and do not allow these people to destroy our facilities.
“This is an attack on the entire Ardoyne Community. We will not be deterred by this attack. If anybody has any information please bring it to us.”
