A BENCH which was installed for parents to sit on when grieving the loss of their babies has been damaged by vandals in Droitwich.
The bench in St Mary’s Churchyard, on Lyndon Road, was smashed to pieces between Wednesday (August 3) and Thursday (August 4) and was discovered by church worker, Kevin Hyatt.
Kevin maintains the churchyard and was devastated to find the bench destroyed on Thursday night when he does he normal checks. The concrete bench had been snapped and the squirrel statues which used to form the legs of the chair were skewed across the ground.
“It is just sick that someone would do this. They are scum.
“This was put their for parents to sit with their children. It has been placed there in front of six infant’s graves.
“I am hoping to try and repair it. It has really hurt and upset me that some sick person would do this.”
The churchyard is near to the Castle Pub and Kevin said children often treat the area as a playground.
“It is not a playground for children. Even the woods there are part of the churchyard and people are buried there.
“It is not a place for children to play while their parents have a pint at the pub.”
Reverend Nigel Byrand said: “Whist vandalism in churchyards is rare, this type of thoughtless behaviour saddens and distresses the relatives of those who are interred in the churchyard.
” The church, in cooperation with the town council make a substantial investment in the upkeep of the five churchyards in Droitwich to ensure they are pleasant sacred spaces for the use of the local community.
“We would hope to restore or replace the bench once the church council can identify the appropriate funding.”
Inspector Louise Wall of the Droitwich Town East and Rural East Safer Neighbourhood Team said: ” During the incident a seat that is intended for use by grieving parents was badly damaged. This senseless act is distressing for those who use this facility, and we are working to identify those responsible. The team will be regularly visiting the churchyard as part of their activities within the area. We are mindful that it is not necessarily appropriate for uniformed officers to be present when someone is grieving, so this will be done as unobtrusively as possible.”
Police are urging anyone with information, or who may spot suspicious behaviour in the area, to contact them on the non emergency 101 number or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
