A LOCAL man has hit out at ‘low-life vandals’ who stole flowers from a garden patch dedicated to the memory of his wife.
Last Friday, Malcolm Price, of Park Road, was left reeling after discovering his flower patch at Locke Park had been targeted by thieves who made away with six begonias.
The 80-year-old had placed notices up warning visitors that the small area of the park was being tended in memory of his wife Susan who was a keen gardener herself.
“It’s incredibly upsetting that someone has decided to help themselves to my flowers that I paid for out of my own money,” Malcolm told the Chronicle.
“That area of Locke Park is specially dedicated to my wife Susan who gardened in the park and absolutely loved her time there.
“I feel as though she’s with me when I garden in the area.
“So for me, this is not just a financial loss, but it’s deeply upsetting for me personally to see this.”
Malcolm has been touched by the outpouring of support by local residents and people online.
“There are some very kind people across our borough and that shows.
“I’ve had loads of generous donations of flowers from local businesses and residents who have really rallied around me.
“These flowers are for the benefit of everybody and I can’t thank people enough for their support and kind words.
“I just hope these types of incidents don’t continue in the area. We have to look after Locke Park the best we can.
“Even after this setback, I’ll still continue to look after Locke Park for my wife.”
A spokesperson from the Barnsley West Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “We have been made aware of the incident on the Friends of Locke Park Facebook page.
“Police officers are actively patrolling Locke Park, if anyone has any information please ring 101, or visit the South Yorkshire Police website.”
