Exclusive: Youths destroy memorial and trash Sensory Garden in Harrow Lodge.

The beautiful Sensory Garden run by Havering Volunteer Centre and its fantastic staff has seen the destruction of a memorial and the garden trashed, leaving broken pots and drugs paraphernalia on the ground.

Over the weekend, the Hornchurch garden is used by many including youths who enjoy sitting in its tranquil environment.

On Monday, staff found that the garden not only had many broken pots, broken bottles, left over drug paraphernalia, but now a memorial had been destroyed.

A spokesperson for HVC said:

“Someone’s memorial has been ripped from its concrete base and obliterated.

“We have replaced our welcome buckets. They have been in place for four days and have been destroyed yet again, and now this memorial has been trashed which is beyond a joke.”

Shelly and her staff at the Volunteer Centre do an amazing job in our community and run this beautiful garden that is a very peaceful and tranquil place for the community to come and enjoy. Sadly now, the garden will need repairing and money that the centre does not have.

“We are speechless beyond words. We love the fact that teens use the garden as a safe spot but over the last couple of weeks we have experienced anti social behaviour and have been silently picking up bottles, broken pots and plants and general destruction. Now the trashing of one of our memorials has left us all heartbroken.

“We have to fundraise furiously to keep the garden open and viable and receive no support in maintaining this space. It is run by volunteers who love this garden.

“We are devastated that someone would mindlessly do this in the name of fun and laughter!”.

If you would like to donate to help repair the sensory garden or would like to help work in the garden, please email us at newsdesk@thehaveringdaily.co.uk

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