HEIRLOOM garden benches have been stolen in the middle of the night, leaving their owner heartbroken and desperate for answers.
Elaine Russel-Wilks, 71, who lives in Ledbury, says the Coalbrookdale benches had belonged to her late husband's parents and were one of the last physical connections she had to him.
Her husband, Robert, died unexpectedly one evening after what had seemed like an ordinary day of working and chatting.
For Elaine, the benches represented memories and history, something she now fears may never return.
She said: “I can’t bear it.
“It’s so sad because I have photos of my husband as a child sitting on them.
"They were part of his life long before I knew him.”
Elaine and Robert spent more than 30 years together in Reading but after he passed away she moved to Herefordshire to be closer to friends.
“We sold the house when he died and we had to empty it completely.” She said.
“I brought the benches to a friend’s field because I needed somewhere safe to store them.”
The benches were hidden behind a caravan and covered, out of sight in a remote field.
But during lambing season, when she was busy helping out, she hadn’t managed to move them somewhere more secure.
She said: “I kept thinking, ‘I need to put them somewhere safe,’ but I didn’t get round to it.
“We weren’t careful enough, we should have locked them away more than we did.”
The field was secured with a bolt but Elaine realised something was wrong when she found the lock on the ground.
“You go into shock.” she said.
“It’s horrible to think someone has come in and taken your things. They’ve been in the family for a long, long time.”
Now, she’s left with one question: “Where are they? I just don’t know where people take things anymore.”
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