A WELL-LOVED sculpture of a Glasgow Commonwealth Games mascot is due to receive a spruce-up after vandals snapped off one arm at the weekend.
The statue of Clyde the thistle, which has been standing in Queen’s Park since 2014, is due to be restored after locals reported a missing limb, Glasgow City Council revealed.
On Sunday, we reported on the sculpture losing an arm, as residents on social media were divided on its fate.
Twitter user @Southsidegrrrl had tweeted a picture of the disfigured sculpture on Saturday, after she retrieved the arm from the mud.
In response, some residents pointed out the derelict state of the wooden statue, which has been exposed to the elements for years.
Now, Glasgow City Council has announced the beloved mascot will get some well-needed TLC.
READ MORE: Derelict Clyde mascot in Glasgow park loses limb and residents are divided on his fate
A Council spokeswoman said: “We know that Clyde is a well-loved Glasgow icon and, despite the efforts of mindless vandals to permanently damage the statue in Queen’s Park, our carpenters will now try to reattach the arm and make Clyde whole again.
"The mascot will also be getting a bit of TLC over the next few days."
Tragic scenes at Queen's Park. Whether the wind or neddery, Clyde has lost an arm. I fear his end is nigh. pic.twitter.com/wEvPGiLQNz
— Southsidegrrrl (@Southsidegrrrl) February 12, 2022
A Twitter user had commented: "He's rotting from the bottom up."
Another comment pointed out: "He’s in a bit of a bog there, that wood really hasn’t lasted at all well."
A third user said: "The poor bugger has looked under the weather for ages."
Southsidegrrrl's Facebook post sparked mixed reactions, with some locals saying they wouldn't be sad to see Clyde go.
Southsidegrrrl told the Glasgow Times: "I want him to stay. Can't believe some people think he's freaky and weird.”
A poll conducted by the Glasgow Times revealed 88% of our readers wanted Clyde to remain a feature of the park.
The statue was carved by local sculptor Robert Coia, with the help of P6 pupils from St Bride's Primary School.
It was one of 12 placed in city parks as part of a council-run Games legacy scheme.
The Glasgow Times understands that community police have been made aware of the vandalism, as part of their daily patrols.
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