Vandals strike at children’s playground honouring late Queen in Thatcham

A children’s playground has been vandalised in Thatcham.

The Queen Elizabeth Play Area, named in memory of the late Queen, was sprayed with offensive slurs over the weekend.

The park, which cost £101,546 to install and is located in the Memorial Playing Fields, was being re-installed after flood alleviation works when the incident occurred.

Newburytoday understands the graffiti appeared over the weekend and was first noticed by volunteer trustees on Tuesday morning (March 25).

Chairman of Thatcham Memorial Foundation Nathan Gregory said the situation was “appalling”.

He and his team of trustees spent yesterday morning (Wednesday) removing the graffiti to make the park accessible to little ones again.

Thames Valley Police has been contacted for comment about the incident.

The park opened in May 2023 and features an accessible seesaw, slide, swings, monkey bars and roundabout.