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Great Chart Golf and Leisure Centre offer £500 reward to catch vandals

A family business is offering a £500 reward to catch the mindless vandals who targeted their site FOUR times in as many weeks.

Yobs have caused around £1,000 worth of damage to equipment at Great Chart Golf and Leisure centre in the recent string of attacks.

In the latest episode on Sunday night, the thugs snapped 60 archery arrows, smashed targets, broke other sporting equipment and even damaged a car.

John Kay with some of the damage to the archery equipment
John Kay with some of the damage to the archery equipment

John Kay, who co-manages the family business in Bear Lane with his brother Grant, said the destruction is devastating to the small business.

He said: "It’s really disappointing that people would do something so mindless and pointless. We work so hard and the damage caused has basically chucked our weekend earnings down the drain.

"The last time we were targeted - about a week ago - they smashed a window and even tried to break into the building."

The incidents have been reported to the police and Mr Kay said the family are offering their own £500 reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the conviction of the people involved.

Grant and John Kay manage Great Chart Golf and Leisure while mum Iris owns the business
Grant and John Kay manage Great Chart Golf and Leisure while mum Iris owns the business

He added: "We really want to catch whoever keeps doing this. We think it’s kids coming in from the wood and will be installing CCTV.

"We try and make the place nice, we have done a lot of improvements and are planning more but this sort of thing is really gutting."

Great Chart Golf and Leisure has been running for 25 years, offering a range of activities including frisbee golf, paintball, a nine-hole golf course, zorbing, archery and footy-golf.

A police spokesman confirmed officers are investigating criminal damage at the centre.

Anyone who has information is asked to call police on 01843 222 289 quoting ZY/033263/16, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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