Donegal gardaí issue Christmas plea following ‘damage’ to display last year

Gardaí in Donegal have issued a plea ahead of the Christmas period, after being contacted by a community group. 

This comes as last year, a Christmas display was damaged and gardaí are reminding the public how much voluntary effort goes into the Christmas displays. 

“Unfortunately, last year, a crib, a Christmas tree, and lights sustained damage in one area of the county,” a garda spokesperson said. “This resulted in the volunteers having to spend even more of their time fixing the damage that was caused and they also had to spend additional money on the repair work. 

“We ask parents to please speak to their children/teens about this type of behaviour and about the consequences of it. Always report any instances of criminal damage or anti-social behaviour that you witness in your area to Gardaí immediately. 

“The effort put in each year by volunteers right across Donegal is a wonderful and selfless gift to our communities. Community groups depend on donations in order to make their towns and villages look magical for Christmas and they spend many hours working hard without pay so we can all enjoy the festive period. 

“It is important to stress that the vast majority of people are very respectful of the work that volunteers in our community groups do and we are all indebted to them for the invaluable work that they do within our communities, especially at Christmas time.  

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“We ask the public to please remember that a lot of time and effort goes into creating the beautiful Christmas displays that you see in the towns and villages across Donegal each year.”