A Wirral woman has said she was 'taken aback' by the Wirral council's decision to remove the memorial benches on the West Kirby promenade.
Sue Ellis, a mum of two from Heswall who regularly walks around the Marine Lake, said she was saddened and 'taken aback' to find that instructions to 'reclaim this bench' had been stuck on several of the memorial benches places facing the waterfront. The benches, which all feature plaques in memory of people's loved ones, are soon to be removed to make way for a new sea wall.
The council are currently searching for the owners of the benches, those who originally paid to have their loved one's memory preserved in the idyllic spot. Sue said she was worried about what will happen to the memory of those people if the original owners are not found.
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She said: "I was a bit taken aback when I saw the stickers on the benches. I walk past the seats with their memorial plaques all the time and some have been there for ages. I hadn't realised they would be going- I suppose under the new development plans.
"If relatives don't come to reclaim the benches what will happen to them and the memorials? I hate to think of them just being dumped. It all just reminded me of the unclaimed baggage department at airports- except instead of suitcases it's people."
Yet, the Wirral council reassured the ECHO that the removal of the benches will not result in those remembered being forgotten. A spokesperson for the Wirral council said: "Securing the memorial benches along West Kirby promenade and ensuring that we comply with the wishes of their owners has been a significant priority for us all through the progression of the West Kirby Flood Alleviation scheme.
“We have made a number of appeals through the media over the last three years to help us identify the owners of the benches that we weren’t already aware of. The sticker idea was the last part of our efforts to complete that list of owners as much as possible.
"We’re pleased to say we have now managed to trace the majority of the owners and have contacted them to find out what they want to do with their bench. Apart from making a commitment to securing and storing the benches until the owners tell us what they want to do, we have also committed to relocating any unclaimed benches within the borough in partnership with local groups.
"Every bench and memorial plaque will be retained.
“Perhaps more significantly, once the new flood defence is built, an exact replica of every memorial plaque will be re-provided on the new wall in the same location – or as near as possible - as the original.”
