Disgust as vandals spray paint over 'fairy doors' in South Moor near Stanley
Date of alert:
Monday, 4 July 2022
Crime Ref:
Force:
Durham Constabulary
A community has come together to recreate a magical fairy land in a County Durham woodland after vandals tried to destroy it.
Artist Karen Gray spent months painting “fairy doors” on the trees in South Moor Colliery Park, in Stanley.
But she was devastated when she discovered last week that almost half of the 80 doors she painted had been spray painted with black paint.
“Seeing all the black doors was such a shock,” she said. “I felt like my heart had been ripped out. I was so shaken up by it.
“I’ve seen the children running through and screaming and being excited. The thought of them walking through and seeing them black was just awful.”
Karen, 50, who lives near the woodland, has been painting the doors for several months, and started because of her love for all things magical.
She finds small flat bits on tree trunks, which she paints to look like tiny doors. Often starting early or late, she had been trying to keep herself anonymous, and often also leaves small notes or gifts to try and keep the magic alive.
