A community in the United Kingdom demonstrated why Christmas is known as the season of perpetual hope after vandals destroyed a Nativity scene on display in the town center, with the culprits smashing a few figurines beyond the point of repair.
The Middleton Rotary Club, a nonprofit organization affiliated with Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, installed the Nativity scene at the Middleton Gardens on Dec. 6.
The next day, vandals ripped off the scene’s protective screen and damaged several of the figurines, according to the nonprofit’s Facebook post.
Due to the damage inflicted upon the Nativity scene, the rotary group had no choice but to seek help from the public to restore the manger display.
Rotary Middleton created a GoFundMe campaign asking for help in restoring the community’s Christmas Nativity scene. In addition to replacing the statues, the nonprofit requested funding for backdrop scenery and storage.
“As the destruction of the nativity scene is so huge, we’re asking the people of Middleton to consider helping to fund a suitable replacement,” the Middleton Rotary Club wrote in a statement at the time.
In a Monday update, the nonprofit announced on its Facebook page that the display is now in Middleton’s Funeral Services window on Old Hall Street. The new Nativity scene, imported from Italy, was the result of the community’s fundraising of £1,200, which is around $1,500.
“The shepherd figure is slightly delayed after sustaining a little damage on his way from Italy, but will be joining soon! We hope you agree that these new figures are amazing and will serve Middleton for years to come,” the rotary group stated.
Middleton Rotary Club team member Lee Wolf described the vandalism of the Nativity display as “senseless” in a statement published Monday by the Manchester Evening News.
Wolf also noted that destroying the scene would have taken the culprits a lot of effort because the figurines they targeted had been secured.
Wolf highlighted the blessing of the community and its willingness to respond to the situation.
“I can remember the Nativity from being a kid, and it was always out on display without any protection,” Wolf said. “And we know people loved seeing it back in place because of all the feedback we were getting.”
“We were really, really made up by how much money was raised. It really does warm your heart to see how people responded,” he added.
While five of the figures suffered damage, the only statue that the vandals do not appear to have destroyed in some way was the figure of Jesus, according to a Dec. 9 Facebook post.
“Thank you to everyone who’s helped turn this appalling act of vandalism into a positive,” Rotary Middleton posted during the beginning of its fundraising efforts, promising to find a replacement for the town’s Nativity set soon.
According to the group’s original Dec. 6 statement announcing the vandalism, Rotary Middleton worked for months with the building company Podfolk to construct a purpose-built stable to house the Nativity scene. The figures included in the display were housed behind Perspex, a brand name for an acrylic sheet.
Prior to the damage inflicted upon the display, the Rotary Club believed that the structure would have protected it from any casual acts of vandalism. As the group acknowledged, however, it had “underestimated the potential for the ferociousness of the attack” that occurred this month.
While the Dec. 6 post confirmed that the police had received a report about the vandalism, the Rotary group has yet to provide an update about the vandals’ identity and whether the authorities have arrested them.
