Voluntary project to spruce up health centre grounds targeted by thieves

Thieves have stripped a flowerbed which had been lovingly planted outside a Southampton health centre by volunteer gardeners.

Green fingered Rebecca Bisson and Sheila Dickinson had spent hours nurturing carefully sourced shrubs designed to cheer up the grounds of Bitterne Health Centre.

Now their labour of love has hit a setback after someone crept along and dug up nearly everything they had put into one new bed.

To make the situation worse, the nature of the crime has led the volunteers to believe it is a fellow gardening enthusiast who is behind the thefts.

Rebecca, who works in IT for the civil service, explained: “It is so sad as the plants had been there since early Spring and so much time and effort had gone into watering them, particularly during the hot spell in June.

“Whoever took them knew exactly what they were doing. They are clearly a gardener as they waited until the ground was damp before removing them.

“These accent plants were just coming into flower and would have had a real impact to transform the garden if they had been left alone to grow to their full potential.”

Rebecca and Sheila were horrified this week when they visited the centre and found holes where the plants had been.

“It has been really upsetting and disheartening that plants have been taken, especially some of the more substantial ones,” said Sheila, a retired teaching assistant.

“We can’t believe that someone would do this.”

The plants stolen included four hydrangeas, a fuchsia, a michaelmas daisy, a hollyhock, wallflowers and a large penstemon.

It is thought the same culprits were behind a previous plant theft from the site back in mid-July.

The plants were designed to bring a splash of colour around the entrance area of the busy health centre in Commercial Street.

Marie Ames, Estates Locality Manager, said: “Everyone is devastated about what has happened. It is so sad when the plants have been donated, along with Rebecca and Sheila’s precious time.”

Rebecca and Sheila have vowed to continue with their garden project but will stick to planting seeds and wildflowers now following the theft of the perennials.

Stuart Francis, Security Management Specialist at Solent NHS Trust, said: “This is a particularly upsetting incident after two people have put in so much effort to try and improve the look of an NHS site.

“Someone must know who has done this. We would be really interested to hear from anyone in the area who has information; perhaps with knowledge of someone who has recently planted shrubs matching the description of the ones we have lost.”

 

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