Ape sculpture stolen from school playground returned days later

An ape sculpture which was stolen from a school playground on Sunday (29 April) has been returned.

Bridget the ape, one of nine Heywood Monkey Town Trail sculptures, was stolen from Heap Bridge Village Primary School during the early hours of Sunday morning.

CCTV footage showed the perpetrator riding on the ape for a few moments, before dragging her away from the school.

However, as of Tuesday morning, Bridget had been returned.

A representative for the school confirmed: “Following a call from Bridget's abductor last night, we have successfully negotiated her safe return. She was placed back on her plinth in time for the start of a new school day.

"Thank you also to the men from Sunnybank Joinery for their help in transporting Bridget up the hill.”

A police spokesperson said: “We were called on Monday morning to reports that a fibreglass gorilla had been stolen from a school on Heap Brow at 5.45am the previous morning.

“Enquiries are ongoing.”

Following the parade last year, the apes – Posse, Smiggle, Harambe II, Glissando Babboono, Beau, Phoo Dow, Bridget, Big Heap and Maggie – were dotted around Heywood on a three-mile Monkey Trail.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/109893/heywood-goes-bananas-for-monkey-town-goes-ape-parade

In the 19th Century, the town of Heywood was built around the area today known as Heap Bridge. Irish ‘navvies’ working on the railway with their native accents, sounded to locals as if they were referring to it as ‘Ape Bridge’.

Since that time, Heywood has been known as Monkey Town.