Man 'devastated' as wife's memorial bench destroyed on same day it's installed

10 March 2024 , 16:30

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The bench at Bottesford Beck was destroyed on the same day it was erected (Image: Submitted)

A 78-year-old man who lost his beloved wife of 55 years last year is "absolutely devastated" after the memorial bench he made for her was destroyed on the same day it was put up.

John Costello, from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, spent three months making the memorial bench for his late wife Val, who sadly passed away after a long illness last August. The bench was meant to be a lasting place for her loved ones to remember her.

On Tuesday, March 5, he had the bench placed at Bottesford Beck, near his home - but was heartbroken when the bench was pulled out of the ground and moved to the other side of the path, getting damaged in the process. John, who looked after his wife in her final years, said: "I was absolutely devastated because we'd planned it, got permission from the Council, got it down there, put it up, and it took three months of planning.

John and his late wife Val, who died in August 2023 (Submitted)

One arm of the bench was pulled off during the incident (Submitted)

"It was part of my grieving process - I could go down there and sit on the bench, because the beck is just a five-minute walk from my house. I was just so upset that someone could go and intentionally desecrate the bench", he told Grimsby Live.

"The arm and other pieces of wood came off the bench and the seating area at one end has dropped down. The anchors were still attached to it, so I don't know how they managed to get it out because we all tried to lift it or pull it and we couldn't, so they obviously used some force."

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John managed to save the brass plaque for Val, which luckily wasn't damaged during the incident. It reads: "Treasured Memories of a wonderful lady, Val Costello, April 8, 1946 - August 25, 2023. A very loving and dearly loved wife and mother. In our hearts you will forever stay."

"Everybody was so upset. It's her birthday next month, so the idea was for all her pals she used to go to lunch with to go down to the bench and have some Prosecco and nibbles," John said. "The bench is being repaired and we think we can still get it up in time, but all her pals are absolutely devastated because she went through so much over the last five years and really suffered."

With the help of a Design Technology teacher who is fixing the bench and the help of North Lincolnshire Council, John hopes to have it put back at Bottesford Beck in the coming weeks.

Lauren Davidson