Roarminster success ends with dinosaur vandalism

Warminster’s summer dinosaur takeover has been hailed a success after Roarminster brought families into the town for a packed schedule of events and activities – but the celebrations ended on a sour note when one of the dinosaur displays was vandalised.

Roarminster, a town-wide dinosaur trail and programme of family activities during the summer holidays included a trail of five dinosaur models placed around the town. Activities including Mayor Jack Jones’ dinosaur walks, talks from leading palaeontologists and dinosaur film screenings.

However, over the final weekend of the event, Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September, a cage was damaged and the head was removed from one of the dinosaur figures.

Warminster Town Council has launched an investigation and said CCTV is being reviewed.

Cllr Stacie Allensby said she shared the community’s “frustration and disappointment” but that the council would not let the damage stop it from putting on similar events in the future.

Before the vandalism, Roarminster had been hailed as a success, with residents, businesses and visitors embracing the summer programme.

“The response from the community has been brilliant,” said Mayor Jack Jones. “We wanted to create something that would give people another reason to come into Warminster, spend time here and discover more of what the town has to offer, and I think Roarminster has achieved exactly that, all while putting a smile on people’s faces!

 

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“My biggest highlight has simply been seeing how much people have enjoyed Roarminster. Seeing children excited to find the next dinosaur and families exploring the town together has been fantastic. It has brought a real sense of fun to Warminster over the summer, and rarely have I been out where I haven’t seen someone holding a map in their hands.”

Cllr Jones said the event had also shown what could be achieved through creative events in the town centre.

“Roarminster has certainly shown what can be achieved with creative events in our town centre, and I would love to see us build on that success,” he said. “Events and trails like this can encourage people to explore areas they might not normally visit, increase footfall for our businesses and create memorable experiences for local families.

“Our local businesses have embraced the trail, residents have supported it and we’ve welcomed visitors into the town. I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has played a part in making Roarminster such a success.

“I hope people who have visited us or even just seen us on social media because of Roarminster have discovered something new about Warminster and, most importantly, will come back and visit us again.”

Anyone with information about the dinosaur trail damage is asked to contact Wiltshire Police on 101 quoting reference 54260108157.