Owner of adventure park that was brutally vandalised praises 'proactive' parents for their quick response

The owner of Conifox adventure park in Kirkliston, James Gammell, has said he is very impressed by the proactive steps taken by the parents of the children who caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to his property earlier this week.

Conifox Adventure Park, Kirkliston, Edinburgh.

On Tuesday, February, 16, CCTV caught nine youths breaking into the adventure park and damaging a number of facilities, with six returning on Wednesday.

In response to the incident, Mr Gammell took to social media to share his disappointment and ask that the community assist in tracing those responsible.

He said that the post blew up and within hours the parents of the vandals turned up en masse with their children ready to apologise and make amends.

Mr Gammell said: “The parents were obviously very sorry, Kirkliston is a very small community and Conifox is very much part of the community, a lot of people love it.

"The kids that came down all apologised which was nice to hear and hopefully they'll learn and go on to bigger and greater things.”

Mr Gammell hopes that their insurance policy will cover the claims and said that it has been agreed that to make up for what they did, the children will help to tidy up the mess.

He continued: “I'm not expecting any financial support because I don't think that's fair on the parents, making them pay for their kids' mistakes, particularly with what's going on in the world at the moment.

"The parents have done the right thing, and it's great that their children see them doing that, but it's important that we do get the kids down to help clear the place up because it's a life lesson for them.”

Since posting on social media, Mr Gammell has been overwhelmed by the “outstanding” support he has received.

He heard from counsellors, MSP’s and other residents, all reaching out to offer their help.

Going forward, Mr Gammell has big plans for the future.

He said: “We're putting in a new soft play and wedding venue, we believe we're going to have Scotland's tallest indoor slide.”

The additions will be “transformational” for the business and will mean that the park can operate all year round, regardless of the weather.

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