Community activists in Westhill were last night undeterred at the recent theft and vandalism of their latest project designed to brighten up the town in the lead up to Gala day this Saturday.

Scarecrows that were placed around the town as part of a Westhill Art Project initiative suffered at the hands of vandals over the last few days. A 5ft tall pink pig in a red jumper was nabbed from the town centre and at one time spotted at Aberdeen Airport. I spoke to volunteer Rosemary Murray, one of the leaders of the project last night, and she had just received positive news from Police Scotland and was hoping for a reunion soon.

Another scarecrow designed by Costco was ripped off a fence and thrown in to a nearby burn. It was rescued and could be seen resting forlornly on a park bench. Hopefully with the dry spell of weather, it will have dried out in time for the Gala.

This project has brought the community together and many groups including Police Scotland, The Westhill Wheelers, local shops and businesses have shown real community spirit and contributed so that the Scarecrow Trail could be enjoyed by young and old alike. It certainly has brightened up the town. Many, many hours of hard work is spent by volunteers in organising the Gala week for the residents of Westhill & Elrick. But the show will go on; I suggest that the culprits of the theft and vandalism spend some time in the company of our community stalwarts for a bit of character-building.