Ventnor’s Flower Fairy, aka Lesley Brown, was left devastated on Monday afternoon when she discovered several years of hard work had been destroyed.
Regular readers will know that, going back several years, Lesley has been prolific in creating many havens around the town for important pollinators.
One such haven was to the entrance of the St Boniface allotments. Each year passers-by have been treated to a beautiful array of colour and scents after Lesley planted – with permission – a wide range of plants that she had grown from seed or propagated.
Brown: I’m absolutely devastated
However, as the photos show, these have all been removed and the area left destroyed, with just a pile of rubble on show.
Lesley told News OnTheWight,
“I’m absolutely devastated.
“Five years of work, undone in a day.
“I had no idea the work had been commissioned. I could have at least dug up and saved the plants.”
Toogood: Contractors were not advised correctly
VTC’s Mayor, Steph Toogood, explained later in the day that contractors had been brought in to replace a leaking water main.
She said,
“The workmen observed that the area had some dormant plants in situ not knowing that the area had been carefully planted. They did enquire if the plants needed to be preserved and unfortunately they were not advised correctly.”
Four weeks to inform
Lesley told News OnTheWight that she’d spoken to the contractors who had removed the plants and was told there had been a four-week gap between VTC contacting them and work starting.
Ample time, Lesley says, for the councillor who contracted the work to contact her and give her time to remove all the plants and keep them safe.
VTC will replace the plants
The Mayor added that VTC will provide replacement plants to restore the attractive entrance to the allotments.
