VANDALS have damaged a sculpture made by groups of schoolchildren in Little Lever.

The artistic installation was only unveiled in December but has had sections torn from it and decorations cracked.

It was part of an art project called 'Little Lever Children Love Little Lever', a joint effort between Mytham Primary, St Teresa’s RC Primary, Masefield Primary, Bowness Primary, St Matthew’ C of E Primary, and Ladywood School.

Local councillor Sean Hornby, said he had been told about the problems by a resident who had noticed damage.

He added: "It's such a shame because it is a lovely piece.

"I was really saddened to see it. This is an attack on our very youngest and people are absolutely gutted by what has happened."

The sculpture was officially unveiled last year, in a ceremony attended by pupils, staff, parents, and council dignitaries at the same time as the Christmas lights were switched on.

It has been housed in the Memorial Gardens on the junction of Market Street and Ainsworth Road, across from St Matthew's Vicarage.

Residents first noticed the problems beginning around two weeks ago and have seen the damage increase since then.

Several of the small painted hands attached to the piece have been torn away, with others smashed and left on the ground.

In addition, the plaque showing the name of the project has been cracked in a number of places and one of the brackets at the top of the sculpture was bent out of shape.

The project was started by the schools three years ago as a way of encouraging pupils to respect and care for their community in response to concerns about antisocial behaviour in the area.

When the piece was first created, Angela Bogle, headteacher at Mytham Primary School, explained:“We felt strongly as schools that our children are good citizens and we wanted to counterbalance the bad press young people get.

“Hopefully the children will go off to their high schools and take all that good work with them. It’s very much based on values and what a good young person needs to have for their future."

12 children from the different schools began working on the art installation, which was part funded by the National Lottery's Awards for All and Bolton Council, with each school designing its own bird.

They worked with local artists to come up with the initial design and make elements of the sculpture, and gained the Arts Mark qualification as a result.