John and Joyce Pheby at St Marks Recreation Ground bowls club Picture Ref: 77662-20VANDALS are being begged to leave a bowling club alone.

Members of the North End Bowls Club are fed up of arriving at their Ferndale ground to find graffiti and damage.

In the latest attack the door to the club's changing rooms had been smashed in and obscene graffiti was sprayed on the walls.

And the bowling green itself is regularly damaged by people playing football on it.

Now, as the half term holiday is under way, the club is appealing to the youngsters they believe are responsible to leave them alone.

"We are involved in a sport the same as the lads who want to play football," said Joyce Pheby, ladies secretary of the club.

"We have to pay for this facility and we would like to enjoy it for the summer. We would like them to just leave us alone.

"We just want them to leave the building and the ground alone."

But the club, which has 60 members and plays at St Mark's Recreation Ground on Ipswich Street, would welcome any youngsters who want to have a go at the game.

"Anybody who just wanted to come and have a try at the game is very welcome," said Mrs Pheby.

"They might find it more interesting than it first appears.

"We are always open to anybody who would like to come along and have a try."

Recent attacks have left fences around the ground damaged meaning vandals can easily get in and now some damage is found at the ground every couple of weeks.

The latest incident was between Saturday and Monday last week, May 21 to 23, and the cost of the damage is still being counted.

"The hut had been broken in to and there were rude pictures painted on the walls," said Mrs Pheby.

"We had to very quickly cover it up because we had an important game going on and we didn't want to offend anybody.

"Some of the work we can do ourselves which is useful but we had to have the door repaired."

Gavin Calthrop, spokesman for Swindon Council which owns the ground, said the authority would work with the club and the police on the problem.

Anyone with any information about vandalism at the club should contact Swindon Police on 01793 528111 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Isabel Field