Deliberate damage caused to Shaun the Sheep sculptures
Over the weekend two of the Shaun the Sheep sculptures have been so severely damaged that the charity, Heart of Kent Hospice who have put on the trail, have had to remove them permanently.
With only two weeks of the trail left to go this is an understandable blow to the Hospice, the community and all involved who have been out flocking to find all the large and small sheep sculptures across Maidstone.
Erica Snow Project Manager for the Shaun the Sheep in the Heart of Kent art trail said:
“We are absolutely heartbroken. Sadly, we know, through CCTV footage, that both the ‘Shikki Shaun’ sculpture which was positioned in the balcony area of Fremlin Walk and ‘Cherry’ Shaun sculpture sponsored by Parkfoot Garage, positioned in Brenchley Gardens were damaged deliberately. The severity of the damage means that neither sculpture can remain on the trail and at this stage we know that Cherry is completely unrepairable. This means significant loss of over £5000 to the Hospice as we are unable to put this sculpture into our Shaun Auction on 26 September 2024.
“There are only a few weeks to go to the end of the trail and we’ve had such amazing engagement from everyone involved. Maidstone Borough Council and One Maidstone have been brilliant and have supported the trail throughout. We’re just so sad to see this type of damage occur.
“We’ve had to remove a couple of sculptures up until now because of wear and tear but this malicious damage has upset everyone. The loss to the charity of these two sculptures could be anything over £10,000 if we find that both are irreparable. Our Shaun Auction on 26 September is raising vital funds to support the Hospice’s outstanding care services which are fundamental to this community.
“We would like to reiterate that these sculptures have been lovingly hand-painted by artists and their purpose, as well as to bring joy to people visiting them over the summer holidays, is to raise funds for Heart of Kent Hospice and our services to this community.”
If you would like to show your support to the Hospice by making a donation, please call 01622 790195 or visit hokh.org/donate.
Shaun the Sheep in the Heart of Kent is in conjunction with creative producers Wild in Art, along with Shaun the Sheep creators Aardman and Presenting Partner and sponsor Maidstone Borough Council.
