Thieves take memorial paving slabs
HEARTLESS thieves ripped up dozens of paving slabs at Whitworth Memorial Gardens on the weekend the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme was commemorated.
The raiders struck overnight between 4pm on July 3 and 9am on July 4, removing around 45 flagstones.
Residents say they have been left ‘devastated’ by the destruction of the gardens, which were renovated by Whitworth and Healey Horticultural Society four years ago.
The group received a £50,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Spaces programme to enable the revamp.
Distraught members of the society say the gardens have been ‘ruined’ and they won’t be able to raise the amount of cash required for a second makeover.
Anita Farrow, treasurer of Whitworth and Healey Horticultural Society, said she was appalled by what had happened.
She said: “We put in an awful lot of work to get the grant and it’s absolutely disgusting. Whoever has done this is the lowest of the low.
“It was a struggle to raise the money to make the park look how it does now, and there was also a lot of volunteer manpower from various authorities. Whitworth Town Council and Rossendale Council were proud of what was achieved and its been destroyed by low-lives.”
Anita adds that the stone flags were chosen to reflect the history and heritage of the area, but the replacements may be concrete to prevent a repeat of the theft.
She added: “I requested stone because it’s a stone valley, the people who lost their lives in the First World War would have worked in the quarry, or their families would have done.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think anybody would do that at the Memorial Park - and at the weekend everyone was remembering the Somme makes it even worse.”
Whitworth Councillor Sean Serridge said: “This is an absolute disgrace. People spend a lot of time and effort keeping the memorial garden in a beautiful condition and thugs like these are not only incredibly disrespectful but have spoilt the beautiful gardens that people in Whitworth work so hard to maintain. I hope we catch these people.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting crime reference EF160682, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.