Ironbridge ducks: Call for care as three sculptures damaged in opening few days

Organisers said they were heartbroken that the giant sculptures, which are located around Ironbridge, had been damaged almost immediately after being put in place on Saturday.

Now they have called on the public to keep an eye out – and make sure the ducks are protected.

The trail has been set up in the Ironbridge Gorge as part of Telford’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Each individual duck has a unique appearance and the artwork was designed by local artists to celebrate life in the Gorge.

Julie Ward, who started the project, said they she was distraught after learning of the damage.

She said: “The fact that idiots are now ruining one of the most positive things that has happened in the area lately is heartbreaking.

“We’ve had great feedback and everybody is enjoying them, and it just takes fools to ruin things.”

One of the ducks, Lady Victoria, was badly damaged and had to be fixed.

Others have had damage to their fittings and are cracking, or have had paintwork damaged.

Some have been purposefully broken, while others have received wear and tear from people climbing on them.

Julie said there were no plans to put barriers around the ducks.

“It’s supposed to be an interactive art trail,” she said. “Children can hug them and stand around them. We would be very upset if we had to get to the point where we had to have a barrier up.

“To all the people who are enjoying these ducks, please take ownership of them.

"If you see anything or hear people damaging them, let us know. It’s all criminal damage at the end of the day. We want to be able to find out who’s trying to ruin this.”

As well as being an art trail designed to encourage people to visit the Ironbridge Gorge, the ducks will also be auctioned off for charity.

Julie is aiming to collect at least £18,000 for the Jayne Sargent Foundation and Severn Hospice, but warns that if they are damaged, the value of the ducks go down.

“They’re taking away my chances of raising £18,000 and they’re ruining some very good causes,” she said.

“If the vandals continue to damage them and the ducks end up having to be scrapped, they are going to be taking away money for the charities.”

The first duck was damaged just hours after it had been unveiled, at some point on Saturday night.

Julie was called the scene on Sunday morning, and said she was shocked by what she found.

“I was heartbroken,” she said. “I was in floods of tears.

“I felt like all the years of planning, the hours of work by artists and everybody that had been involved was ruined – to arrived and see her completely wrecked was heartbreaking.”

Councillor Nicola Lowery, borough councillor for the Ironbridge Gorge, said: “We are devastated to see this happen given the amount of time and effort that so many have put into making this project happen.

“Over the glorious Bank Holiday weekend many members of the community and visitors were out in the sunshine enjoying the arts trail, sharing their photos on social media and many expressed their disappointment on why someone would vandalise these beautifully painted ducks that are there to put a smile on people’s faces and raise money for charity.

“It’s utterly despicable that someone would damage these pieces of art, given that the trail is there to raise money for two charities Jayne Sargent and the Severn Hospice that offer specialist support to patients and families.

"The repair work will cost a few hundred pounds to repair. However, the positivity and generosity shown to towards Let’s Go Quackers and to get the ducks repaired has been truly inspiring and I would has information on the damage caused please do contact the police.”

Anybody with information can contact police on 101.

Alternatively, people can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org.