Glastonbury Festival has a campaign called ‘Love The Farm. Leave No Trace’, aimed at encouraging festival-goers to return home with all their camping equipment.
It never works, however, and every year fields are strewn with discarded tents, gazebos and other assorted paraphernalia.
Gromit Unleashed has a similar call to those out gromiting: stay off the sculptures in order not to damage them and other people’s enjoyment.
But like Glastonbury’s campaign it also hasn’t worked.
It’s not just the five Gromits that have been vandalised either. Below is a collection of the scuffed feet and other body parts of sculptures.
After the last week of the trail this week, they are going to need some serious TLC before being collected together at the RWA later this month prior to taking part in the big auction.
If only they all had plasters:
It is unfortunate that some ‘Wear and Tear’ damage has occurred to the Gromits but what can one expect? They were installed to attract visitors’ interest and this has certainly happened. With the Gromits’ varying, appealing, natures one couldn’t really expect the thousands of children who hunted them down to stand back and admire them from afar! That, however, does not excuse the needless vandalism which has caused major damage to some of the Gromits.
How ridiculous. You can still pose next to a Gromit without the need for clambering all over it. I’ve seen parents actively encourage their children to sit on them despite quite clear signs asking them not to. The money raised is for the Children’s Hospital which their own child may very well have to visit one day so they should respect these pieces of art. I hope they’re able to restore them all to their full glory in time for the auction!
It is a shame that people don’t observe he signs and climb on the gromits so by become damaged.
A bit of respect needed all round really, the parents should enforce their children obey the signs. You can have great photos without climbing on them.
As for the vandalism then I hope they find who has been doing it and ensure this type of behaviour does not jeopardise future installations and thus affect future revenues for Bristol children’s hospital.