Repaired Fox sculpture back in place

A popular fox sculpture which was vandalised earlier this year has been fully restored and returned to Worcester’s Laugherne Brook Local Nature Reserve, thanks to a strong community effort.
The wooden fox seat sculpture, originally installed by Worcester City Council over 15 years ago, was a popular feature at the reserve.
The Friends of Laugherne Brook group adopted the sculpture and made it part of their logo - the word ‘Laugherne’ comes from an old Welsh word for fox.
However, the group were left disappointed earlier this year when the fox sculpture was damaged and pulled out of the ground.
That was until the Men’s Shed Worcester community group agreed to repair the sculpture.
The Friends of Laugherne Brook successfully applied for a grant from the City Council for the required materials.
With the money, the Friends group bought some oak wood off-cuts, and the Men’s Shed Worcester team carefully rebuilt the sculpture.
Volunteers from both community groups assisted with the installation of the newly repaired fox, ensuring its return to the reserve in its original location.
Councillor Karen Lewing, Vice Chair of the City Council’s Environment Committee, said: “Laugherne Brook is an important green space for those living in the surrounding area.
“It was disappointing to see that the popular fox sculpture was vandalised earlier this year.
“However, this is a great example of community groups working together and with the City Council on a project for their local area.”
Margaret Layland, a member of the Friends of Laugherne Brook Local Nature Reserve, added: “Our fox seat was a very well-known feature of Laugherne Brook Local Nature Reserve, so we were all saddened when it was vandalised and had to be removed.
“However, it was a fantastic community effort that saw the repaired fox being re-installed.
“Stephen Buckley and the team from Men's Shed did an amazing job rebuilding the fox using oak that was paid for with a Community Grant from Worcester City Council.
“The Friends Group are delighted to welcome the fox back. We're really pleased with it and are grateful to everyone who helped, including Men's Shed, the City Council and all the volunteers who turned up on a frosty morning to do the digging!”
Men’s Shed Worcester meet in the Crypt at the back of St Clement’s Church on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10am and noon.
Men’s Shed representative Stephen Buckley added: “We hope that the fox statue will grace the nature reserve for many years to come.
“We very much enjoyed working together to renovate the fox and look forward to working with the City Council on other projects.
“If you’d like to find out more about us, please come along to the church on any Tuesday or Thursday.
“You can be sure of a very warm welcome.”