Abergavenny’s vital tourist trade threatened by TIC vandals
Abergavenny Chronicle - 11th March 2004

LORNA PHELAN REPORTS

ABERGAVENNY’S vital tourism trade could be threatened as a result of repeat attacks on the town’s Tourist Information Centre which provides a welcome for thousands of visitors throughout the tourist season.

Anne Bowden, a longtime member of staff at the centre said visitors’ first impressions of the area had been adversely affected by the vandalism.

“We are the first port of call for many tourists who come to Abergavenny from home and abroad, and their first comments are usually negative,” she said.

“We often have to work hard to change people’s perception of the town. As we all know first impressionscount!” Recent months have seen countless windows smashed at the centre and graffiti daubed over its walls.

The main entrance has also been attacked, with a disabled access button ripped off the wall, vent ducts destroyed, and a sensor light smashed.

Mrs Bowden said she believed a considerable problem was caused by youths using the area in front of the TIC with its raised flower beds and benches as a makeshift skatepark, and inadvertently providing vandals with missiles.

“The walled flower beds have been damaged and the loose rubble subsequently used as missiles to break our windows.

“Three windows were broken on Sunday February 22 and six windows were also smashed on February 24, when the rear wall was graffitied,” said Mrs Bowden.

The latest attack came on the weekend when windows were once again damaged. In addition to the stress of coping with the frequent material damage, staff also have face vandalism of a less obvious nature.

“We’ve just had to have a new back door fitted because people were urinating through a gap at the bottom of the old one,” said Mrs Bowden, who along with other colleagues often has to clean the entrance before the centre can be opened to the public.

“I came to work the other morning at 10am to find four men outside the front door drinking bottles of cider, swearing and vomiting. The police attended and moved them on, but what an impression of Abergavenny they provided to visitors!” At night the high levels of activity in the area often led to staff feeling intimidated as they left the centre and at their request a security light was installed, but this too has fallen prey to vandals.

Although the TIC, which opened in 1989, has been experiencing problems for a while Mrs Bowden believes these have escalated since the Summer, when floral displays were torn from the building and the public seating around the area came under attack.

“The benches outside were fixed to the ground but people still manage to remove them. They are constantly being oved and we never know where we will find them each morning.”

Sandra Belcham, chairman of the Abergavenny and District Tourist Association, described the vandalism experienced by the TIC as a ‘dreadful problem’ which was bound to infleunce visitors’ impressions of the area.

“It’s a pretty dire situation and I don’t know what we can do to combat it. Anne has a point when she says if the area was well lit it might put people off.

“It is incredible how much tourism brings to the area, it’s the biggest employer in Monmouthshire and the damage is bound to give a bad impression to visitors. If you come to an area and there is graffiti all over the walls, you’re bound to hesitate before staying there.”

Mrs Belcham added she believed vandals were causing the damage just for something to do rather than as a specific attack on Abergavenny tourism. “Its just the general degradation of society, and we have to be vigilant,” she advised.

Detective Sergeant Howard Salmon of Abergavenny Police said the problem of increasing vandalism to property and vehicles was not unique to Abergavenny. “For some unknown reason many towns are experiencing an increase in damage to both property and vehicles.

“The Tourist Information Centre has been a target on a number of occasions with damage being caused to win dows, walls and plants. “There is a problem with skateboarders but, I certainly would not want to attribute all of the damage to them.

“There is a culture at the moment where there is no respect for people and property. With the resources available we are attempting to apprehend those responsible,” he said.

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