Councillors intervene after nuns 'intimidated' at Fulwood church

Local councillors and officers have had to intervene to break up ongoing antisocial behaviour at a church on Malborough Drive in Fulwood.

It came as nuns, who have been settling in at the presbytery at Our Lady and St Edward's Parish Church, were left feeling intimidated by groups of teenagers loitering and causing a nuisance.

In a public post, local Liberal Democrat candidate for Greyfriars, Fiona Duke said: "The Nuns at the church on Marlborough Drive are being subjected to regular intimidation and vandalism such as trespass, stone-throwing during services, and CCTV being ripped down and smashed.

"I moved a group of ten 14 or 15-year-olds, but a group were back again later with hoodies up and masks on.

"The Nuns are calling the police and getting gates installed. I will be writing to the Police and Crime Commissioner to ask for greater presence and support for the nuns."

And she urged local parents to make sure their children were not the ones involved.

Her efforts were praised by fellow Liberal Democrat Councillor Phoneix Adair, who said the local schools and police had been made aware of the issue.

He told the Post: "I was contacted on September 20 by Bernad Walmsley, the chair of Our Lady and St Edwards Parish, who made me aware that the nuns that have recently settle into the presbytery are feeling ‘quite intimidated’ by young trespassers who are often ‘cheeky with threatening behaviour and have caused incidents of vandalism and littering’.

"I asked that our Greyfriars Campaigner who lives just around the corner from them; Fiona Duke if she could make contact with the sisters and she happily took the lead on this case.

"The Police and Crime Commissioner, local police team and the local schools have been made aware of this issue. Fiona has done a fantastic job bringing this to the attention of the authorities who are looking at stepping up extra patrols in the area.

"Fiona also even managed to get the teenagers to move from the grounds herself too."

Efforts to step up patrols by police officers were also confirmed by Bernard Walmsley, chair of the parish, who said there had been issues with young people near the church.

The Post made efforts to contact the local neighbourhood police team, but they did not respond.

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