December 2025:

The inaugural meeting of the re-launched discussion group took place with Coleen in the chair. Several topics had been put forward initially, but we chose to discuss the effects vandalism has on society as a whole.  A very interesting discussion took place with many different views.  Vandalism was considered a perennial problem with no easy solutions.  There are various things that we considered to be vandalism, from dropping litter to graffiti.

It was stated that vandalism costs five hundred million pounds to the Country a year.  We all agreed that it is anti-social behaviour but how to stop it was difficult.  Speaking mainly about teenagers but no solely, we thought  that many acts were a result of bravado, peer pressure  and generally not pre-meditated,

A lack of respect to authority and possibly parents also contribute to the problem.  The perpetrators were unaware of the long term effects of many of these acts of vandalism. Children also need to be shown respect and have to earn it.

On the other hand is it character building?  Climbing on to buildings, Edmund Hillary started climbing on something. Spraying paint, (where did Banksy start?)

Does it have anything to do with what we are eating, for instance E numbers in our food.

As you can see, we covered a wide range of cause and effects and generally found more questions than answers. It was a very good and informative discussion in a safe and respectful environment.