CUSTODIANS of a renowned historic building have appealed for help in stamping out a fresh wave of vandalism.

The trustees of Whittington Castle say its whole future is now threatened by the cost of repairing mindless aerosol daubings.

Childish graffiti daubed on the castle walls last week will now have to be removed by specialist experts, because of the building’s historic status.

Chairman of the trustees Jonjo Evans, said: “There is certainly growing concern in the village about a lot of recent vandalism, and the parish council has become involved with daubings and damage at the recently-repainted bus shelter and the White Lion.”

And the village hit the news recently for the worst possible reasons when a defibrillator was wrenched off and dumped in the Castle grounds.

“But I doubt if it is realised in the village just how serious the situation has now become. I don’t want to over dramatise things but if the castle was being attacked by armed troops I doubt they could be causing more mayhem and financial problems than a couple of rather pathetic hoodies armed with aerosols. We are now seeking the co-operation of all villagers, especially parents, in getting to grips with this crisis," Mr Evans added

“The saddest thing of all is that most of the kids who love using the castle grounds as a play area are well-behaved youngsters who wouldn’t dream of wrecking what should be the village’s most prized possession. But because of the crass behaviour of a few rather sad lads who think it’s clever to just walk into the unfenced building, point an aerosol at a wall and press the button, the whole future of the castle is now in jeopardy. And even worse, the well-behaved kids are being tarred with the same brush.

“I happen to know some of them are now being gated at home to prevent them from associating with the vandals, and we need more parents to be aware of what is happening and perhaps in some cases keep a closer eye on their children’s movements especially at night.”

Another trustee, Sarah Thursfield, said: “The castle is fortunate in having a wide range of people, a few from the village and many from further afield, who give up their time for nothing to help, using a wide range of skills ranging from grounds maintenance to painting, carpentry, and assistance in the shop, second hand bookshop and restaurant.

"Thanks to them, we just about break even. But the latest spate of vandalism in the open tower will require expensive restoration, and we cannot afford to keep meeting costs like this.

“Our wide range of job descriptions does not, unfortunately, include outreach social worker.”

The castle received capital funding 11 years ago, helping to turn the important historic site into a major tourist attraction and to create what has since become a successful restaurant.

But since then there has been no external funding, and the castle has come to depend on revenue from car parking, the restaurant, weddings and parties, and income from events such as mediaeval re-enactments and pageants.

Even these events have not escaped the attentions of the rabble rousers. During a recent wedding a group of them drove through the bridal party shouting obscenities.

Despite growing profits from a range of activities enjoyed by villagers and outsiders alike, rising costs have meant that the castle does well to break even.

And this year some unexpected capital costs, including a new £4,000 heating boiler and a similar amount spent on renewal of expensive catering equipment, has further dented the finances.

After a daubing episode which occurred while the trustees were holding a meeting inside the building, the trustees themselves buckled to with soap, water and brushes to scrub away the latest display of phallic symbols.

The next morning, extensive damage was cause to the castle’s open tower.

Mr Evans added: “I do not expect the vandals themselves to be greatly concerned about our plight. In my opinion they have no feelings for the rest of us. But unless the community can get together and really tackle this by dealing with these youngsters, then I can see even hard-working trustees like Sarah and myself losing heart.

“And without trustees to run it, the castle would face dereliction.”

Castle manager, Sue Ellis, said: “We have now tried everything in our efforts to keep the children on side, and all but a tiny minority now behave acceptably. In fact we see children as our most important visitors, because theirs will be the next generation to take over the running of the castle.

“But unless this tiny minority can be somehow brought to heel, there may not be a castle for them to look after.”