Vandals destroy Captain Sir Tom Moore plaque and trash flowers at Covid memorial

A plaque commemorating Captain Sir Tom Moore and flowers at a Covid memorial have been destroyed by vandals.

Flowers laid as part of a wreath to respect the 703 residents of Stoke-on-Trent who died from coronavirus have been ripped out – less than a month after the memorial was unveiled.

While a plaque installed to pay tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore and the charity work he carried out has been vandalised at Fenton Park.

Now, residents have condemned the vandal attack which was discovered yesterday afternoon.

Flowers laid as part of a wreath to respect the 703 residents of Stoke-on-Trent who died from coronavirus have been ripped out – less than a month after the memorial was unveiled

Emma Owen, 40, from Fenton, said: ‘It’s disgusting and disrespectful when people have lost people to coronavirus. I hope they find out who is responsible.

‘We know a few people who have died through Covid-19 and it’s not nice. We should be grateful that the council chose to put a memorial in Fenton Park as it’s good to have it in Fenton.’

While Karen Smith, 60, also from Fenton, said that it was shocking to see how thoughtless some people can be.

She said: ‘We were here when they put the memorial up and I’ve seen quite a few people stop to have a look and talk about it.

A plaque (left) installed to pay tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore (right) and the charity work he carried out has also been vandalised at Fenton Park

‘It’s made us all think and after the last year it was nice to have something like that in the park.

‘Maybe there needs to be some CCTV installed, but that’s a cost to the council.

‘Some people just don’t have any respect for anything. It’s awful and makes you feel like why bother having anything nice.’

Stoke-on-Trent Lord Mayor Ross Irving unveiled the memorial last month to mark 12 months since the start of the first coronavirus lockdown.

The garden of reflection includes a fruit tree and a commemorative plaque to pay tribute to those who have lost their lives to Covid-19.

Pictured: The flower wreath that had been placed at the memorial in Stoke-on-Trent to pay tribute to the 703 residents who died from coronavirus, before the flowers were ripped out by vandals

A bench was also dedicated to healthcare workers and volunteers who had lost their lives working tirelessly in the fight against the virus.

 Fenton resident Eddie Jankowski, 71, said: ‘People have no respect anymore. This is a lovely bench to remember people after the year we have had and it’s a shame that somebody has done this to it.’

Captain Sir Tom Moore earned national recognition during the national lockdown after completing 100 laps of his garden to raise money for the NHS.

Initially hoping to raise £1,000 to help the health service, Captain Sir Tom Moore eventually raised more than £32million.

In recognition of the sizeable contribution the Army veteran made during the pandemic, the Queen awarded him a knighthood on July 17, 2020.

Earlier this year though, Captain Tom’s death was announced after having contracted coronavirus while being treated for pneumonia.

Speaking about the damage done to Captain Tom’s plaque, Annah Williams, 34, said: ‘The plaque with Captain Tom on being destroyed is horrible, I can’t believe it, it’s awful.

‘This was a nice place for people to come. We come here every day and always see people having a look around.’