Allotments - '˜Deeply angered' by sign removal

She was a very keen gardener, and believed, long before it was commonly recognised, that gardening was a simple way to add pleasure and relaxation to the lives of busy people.

This tireless work is the reason the allotments were dedicated to her, so imagine my horror when I discovered recently that the sign bearing her name had been removed from the gate way and tossed into the toilet building.

To add insult to injury, it was then placed beside a skip.

Perhaps the current allotment-holders do not remember the inauguration of the site, but the Town Council has a responsibility to maintain its property: I am fully aware of the letters it sends to allotment holders, should their plot develop weeds.

That being the case - and photographic evidence supports me here - it is very difficult to believe that they were ‘not informed’ as I was told by the town clerk.

This affront has deeply angered me, as has their inaction.

When they were informed, still no reparation was made and in fact, the sign has now disappeared completely.

According to the clerk, the sign was affixed with ‘sticky pads’ - hardly befitting of the significance of the site.

I am not an allotment-holder and I do not live in the town, so if I am aware of this denigration, I believe local councillors ought to be too and to act quickly to reinstate the name board.

Samantha Gardiner

By email

Response:

As soon as the Town Council was made aware that the Walter Gardens Allotments sign had fallen off the gate we arranged straight away for it to be put back up more securely.

We wish to assure Mrs Gardiner that the sign was not removed by the Town Council as she states.

Unfortunately, whoever moved the sign did not inform us, so we were not aware of the situation until Mrs Gardiner contacted the Town Clerk.

The name board is now safely back in place.

Amanda Bushell

Town Clerk