A PUB owner from Dursley donated funds for CCTV equipment to prevent people taking advantage of a community project.

Breakheart Community Project, located in a disused quarry in the town, has suffered with vandalism and being taken advantage of by unknown people.

Hearing of the situation, the new manager at The King’s Head in Parsonage Street donated £280 for cameras to help prevent further problems.

Breakheart volunteer Martin Stevens-Lee told the Gazette of the damage inflicted on the project by certain individuals.

“It’s not actually theft from the shop [a store on the site which, with everything available free of charge, depends on charitable donations], but people are loading up cars and vans and then taking stuff to the car boot sale,” he said.

“Groups of people also use the children’s play area as a site for drinking in the evening. Every morning when one of us comes up to the site we have to start cleaning up the mess they’ve made. It’s not fair on the good people in the community.”

Seeing the predicament, Alan Howe, of Dursley, set up a crowdfunding page to raise money for CCTV to protect the site. The page was seen by several people willing to pay the total cost of the much-needed equipment, but it was Martin Harries, new manager of The King’s Head, who ended up making the donation.

Mr Harries told the Gazette he was more than happy to help Martin from Breakheart.

He said: “I heard about Breakheart and the site they have and thought it was a really nice space and a good thing for the community.

“I got in touch with Martin and we spoke quite a bit. When I found out he was trying to get CCTV we were going to do a charity event at the King’s Head, but then thought let’s just do it.

“If I’m going to be a resident and stay in the town I think it’s only fair I do a little bit for a good cause.”

Breakheart Community Project was formed in 2009 by volunteers to secure and manage the disused quarry and woodland at Breakheart Hill.

Since then it as has gradually been improving the site and buildings, re-instating footpaths and tracks and offering refurbished facilities, including a fully equipped field study centre.