Joan’s despair as vandals wreck memorial

Joan Williams in the garden that became a memorial to her sister, now wrecked by vandals

VANDALS have left a woman heartbroken after destroying a garden kept as a memorial to her much-loved sister.

Joan Williams was distraught after returning home to discover the wrecked garden in Bamford Street, created by her husband, Harold.

Part of the garden had been turned into a memorial for her 67-year-old sister, Brenda, who died from bowel cancer last April.

A tree planted for Brenda was destroyed and plant pots smashed, their contents strewn all over the pavement. Wooden fencing and framework had also been broken.

Mrs Williams (60) said while the garden can be created again, the damage to Brenda’s memory was “irreparable”.

She said: “I was totally devastated. My sister thought an awful lot of my husband and saw the progress of the garden and the hard work he put in to it. I don’t know how scum can do anything like that.”

Mr Williams (62) had been working on the garden for many years. It brought him asecond place in the Oldham Gardening Awards in 2013

It was a space where Brenda would come and enjoy being with her family - so much so that the special area was created after her death.

Mrs Williams’s daughter, Lyndsey Wyatt, an exams officer at Newman College, added:: “These mindless thugs have no regard for the implications this can have on people. You can replace the garden, repair it or recreate it, but it’s the impact on the memory. That’s the damage you can’t repair. Mum is heartbroken.”

The attack happened overnight on Sunday. Greater Manchester Police are investigating. Anyone with information can call the non-emergency 101 number.