Madam,

Back in 2009, I created a small shrine on the south-facing cliff face of Constitution Hill, Aberystwyth and dedicated it to Our Lady of Craiglais. Craiglais is the old name for Constitution Hill.

Over the years others have seen fit to build this shrine up to much more than it originally was, with a small drystone wall around the shrine, a floor of white pebbles, many decorations, a small herb garden to the side of the shrine, two stone slabs which allow the visitor to sit and admire the view over the bay, and a run of upright (‘standing’) stones beyond the shrine proper.

I know that many visitors find spiritual comfort from the place, because they have told me so, because they have left offerings at the shrine, because they have left messages at the shrine and in one case because they wrote a poem about visiting the shrine.

Personally I visit the shrine about three times a week and light candles in the candle lanterns I leave there for that purpose.

Sadly, there is one person (or possibly one small group of people) who does not appreciate the shrine, and who has vandalised it frequently over the last four or five years.

Their modus operandi is consistent. They smash whatever statue I leave up there to represent Our Lady, concentrating on the face, hands and any other exposed parts.

They smash my lanterns with rocks. They remove the sign I leave up there saying that the shrine is dedicated to Our Lady of Craiglais. They kick over the wall around the shrine. They pull down all of the standing stones.

Within the last month or so, this has happened three times.

Of course, I always do what I can as soon as I can to rebuild the shrine, and sometimes when I visit the shrine it is clear that others have already done the same.

My biggest practical problem is that each time it costs me about £50 to replace the statue and lanterns. I have had no employment for over a year now, so this is a real burden for me.

May I, through your paper, make two appeals, please.

Firstly, if anyone should witness the vandal(s) in the act of desecrating the shrine, could they please call the police.

Secondly, if the vandal themselves should read this, please can they contact me on 01970 639480 or [email protected] to explain what their problem is with the shrine, in the hope that we can find a mutually acceptable solution short of its frequent desecration.

Yours etc,

Allan Marsden, Cliff Terrace, Aberystwyth.

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