News / Michaelswood set to invest in CCTV
THE OWNERS of the Michaelswood memorial garden in Aith which had its donations box raided in March are now looking to install CCTV on the site.
Ray and Betty Ferrie, who created the garden in memory of their late son Michael, were left “saddened” after the box was destroyed by vandals.
However, an online campaign launched by recently elected councillor Ryan Thomson raised over £3,000 for the garden.
Betty Ferrie said on Tuesday that some of the money is likely to be used, somewhat reluctantly, to install a solar powered CCTV unit.
“We never wanted to go down that road,” she said. “You always want to be able to trust people in Shetland, but you’ve always got that element that creeps in.”
Some of the money has already been used to purchase a more secure donations box, while the couple have also extended the size of the carpark at the popular woodland.
Also on the agenda is installing a polycrub complete with picnic tables inside. “It’s all go at Michaelswood – it never stops,” Betty said.
The woodland was started in the 1990s in memory of their son Michael, who passed away from cancer.
It consists of over 60 species of trees and shrubs, while last year a dinosaur trail featuring a number of large models was installed.
“We are just forever grateful for the people that have donated and we were totally humbled by it,” Betty added.
“We couldn’t believe that so many folk wanted to donate to something like that.
“We do have so many people, children and visitors that come to Michaelswood, and they all seem to want to contribute something.”
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