Dawley’s fun sign attacked by vandals
Thursday 10th June 2010, 1:55PM BST.
A Hollywood-style sign has been vandalised just three days after it was put up on a mount in Dawley.
The sign, put up on Paddock Mount and spelling out the name of the town in large white letters, now reads “Adley” after the vandals struck overnight ripping up some of the letters.
The sign has become a firm favourite with residents and even civic leaders in the few days it has been up. Almost 2,000 people joined a Facebook page supporting it.The sign’s creator, Ellen Davis, today said the vandalism was “a shame”.
“I have seen what they did but I knew it wouldn’t last,” she said. “I knew there was always someone out there that would do this. It’s a shame. We have had a talk about sorting it out this weekend but we all have full time jobs so I don’t know.
“I know the W has been vandalised and that was the most difficult letter to make with the jigsaw.
“To be honest we didn’t think it would last this long anyway. A lot of people have really enjoyed it.”
The sign has received the blessing of Great Dawley Parish Council chairman Councillor Kuldip Sahota and even Telford & Wrekin Council’s regeneration chief is a fan.
Councillor Eric Carter said officers would be at the site today seeing what they could do the rearrange and repair the Dawley sign.
But he said that if the sign is repeatedly vandalised it does not have a future.
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And we wonder why Telford has such a bad reputation!!!
Vandalism and poor use of the English language, did their teacher not tell them that Hadley is spelt with a ‘H’ or could they simply not be bothered to construct their own letter ‘H’?
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It is a sad indictment I know, but I am surprised it lasted this long!
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What a nasty pointless act.. Even worse, my national flag appears to be dangling from the ‘D’
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What do we expect from some of the low life in Telford……
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Typical, you have something nice, it gains attention and media coverage, only to be trashed by Trash.
What a lovely world we live in !
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typical dawley !!
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Typical Pond Life!!
Wouldn’t know a good thing if it smacked them round the ear hole……tsk tsk shame on you!!!!
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Telford COULD be such a fantastic place to live and work but its fools like these that drag the place down again & again.
No wonder we end up saying “why bother”
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When will the police and government figure out that a quick answer to a lot of these mindless acts is to have a curfew.
14 and under off the streets by 9.00 and 15 – 18 off the streets by 10.00, unless they are accompanied by a parent/responsible adult or on the way home from their job.
Stop pandering to the namby pamby liberals – it’s not restricting their personal freedom it’s improving everyones life.
If the parents won’t do their job, find someone who will.
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Well I drove past last night and it just said “Wadley” ………… it hadn’t been vandelised at that point. I think it was probably meant as a practical joke …… the “W” looked fine when I saw it at about 2pm. I even took a picture of it saying “Wadley” ………
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Just another example of some lowlife ruining a bit of fun Art for the rest of the people in dawley. May be the low life thought they were going to miss out .!!!!
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Unfortunatley our flag does tend to represent thugs and football
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Sorry all you guys who knock Telford. It’s not just Telford thats prone to acts of Vandalism (Read the Shropshirestar more carefully). It’s Britain as a whole. Britain has the outstanding honour of holding the worlds No 1 spot for vandalism.
How long do you think the Hollywood sign in California would have lasted in the UK. Not long. I rest my case
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What a bloody shame. Some sad idiots cant leave anything alone. They obviously wanted their deed in the paper so instead of being imaginative and quirky by putting something else on Paddock Mount to enhance what was already there they have ruined it instead. Shame on you
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Haha ‘flag’ and what elite part of perfect shropshire do you reside in……..
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i never created the sign just seen it on the shropshire star for the first time to night
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Once again an idea which has brought of smiles to a lot of faces in Dawley has been ruined by a mindless few who have to spoil it for everybody. Lets hope it can be repaired.
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So lets get this right. 6 people vandalise a hill top by hammering in some boards which spell out Dawley. Then other vandles come along and vandalise it. Get a grip! What next 60 foot letters along the Wrekin – i think not!
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… thats actually a very good point. I do think people are taking this a bit too seriously
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As the initial putting up of this sign was undertaken without permission by people wearing camouflage it could have been construed as of form of vandalism.
As it is it won the hearts of people in a world where everything seems to be so bureaucratic. Something suprising and spontaneous and that did no harm has been warmly welcomed.
As an accepted act of art rather than vandalism perhaps the subsequent so called vandalism should be perceived in the same light? Interesting thought!
It can be the same problem with graffiti which on valuable brick or stone is utterly destructive but in some situations, bare hoardings, derelict buildings etc can be considered an artform and/or form of communication.
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this is a discusting act but then again where else can the yooths go you have clubs for young kids but when they get to 16 + what is there for them nothing
the council should invlove young groups in things like this and hopefuly they will then have a imagination like the 4 who put the sign there how cool was it to see i have to take my hat off to then
council bosses open more youth clubs even it involve the yoth and not block them out it only leads to this
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stupid yobs.
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I bet the scum that did this haven’t got the guts to stand and be photographed with their handywork, as the original creators did.
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Please don’t mix the St Georges Cross flag seen on the picttures with the people who smashed the sign. The flags have been there most of the week.
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Probably some of the sportswear laden sub human neanderthals that can be found taxi hopping backwards and forwards to ASDA everyday to buy larger, crisps and special offer flat screen tv’s which they can’t afford
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St George – thanks for the correction. I’m so used to seeing the flag devalued by thugs
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Hahahahaha u love it u dooooooo!!!!
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Perhaps you’d like to repeat that in one of the earth languages?
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Quite a lot of work goes on voluntary at Dawley for youngsters .I see Chris Tarr and Joe Hurdley running table tennis classes at Dawley Christian Centre on Wednesdays.There is Girls Brigade ,Boy Scouts, I am sure there is a lot more .Many people give up a lot of their spare time for these activities ,they all help to stop vandalism .
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This sign was put up without permission, so therefore the people who put it up are as bad as the people who tore it down, why is everyone blaming young teenages? do we have the proof it was them? no, its just easy to blame the youth.
I think the youth gets too much bad press now a days, there is nothing for them to do at night, why not open up youth clubs get them involed in doing so and they will respect it more and not ruin it, that way there wont be kids hanging around on street corners as much.
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