A community orchard is due to be planted in Cardiff's Buke Park after the local community raised thousands of pounds to re-plant trees that had been destroyed by vandals. The much-loved park was subject to a "dark and sinister" attack of vandalism on the night of September 9 2021, in which more than 50 trees were destroyed, plants, planters, and manhole covers were broken and bins were ripped from the concrete.
Hundreds of people took part in a march to reclaim the park on September 18 in what was described by organiser and owner of the Secret Garden Café, Melissa Boothman, as a "friendly show of solidarity and resistance" and a "positive counteraction" to the vandalism.
Melissa also set up a fundraiser to replace the lost trees in the park, which has raised £5,000 at the time of writing. The money raised is set to be used to start a community orchard with apple, pear, and plum trees. In a tweet announcing the plans, the Secret Garden Café said that "each tree will represent the 50 plus trees we lost last year in the vandalism."
