Bristol woman's devastation after late husband's monkey puzzle tree stolen from allotment

Cynthia was devastated to find her late husband's favourite tree had been stolen from their allotment. Credit: Melanie Mason

A Bristol woman has described her anger and disbelief on discovering her late father's favourite tree had been stolen from his allotment.

Melanie Mason, from Redfield, gave her father Richard the tree over two decades ago and it flourished on his plot at Netham Allotments.

After Richard passed away from Alzheimer's two years ago, the potted tree moved onto his wife Cynthia's plot - number eight - on the same site.

But around 30 January this year, it disappeared from the allotment, leaving Melanie and her 86-year-old mother devastated.

She said: "It's just me and mum, and she's got Alzheimer's too now. I know it sounds silly, but that tree is something we've always associated with Dad.

"The theft has had a real impact on Mum. It's keeping her awake - it's all she can think about and every day she thinks it's somewhere else.

"It's become an obsession and I am trying to keep her calm but she's enraged by it."

The six-foot tree was taken from plot eight at Netham Allotments Credit: Melanie Mason

Melanie first encountered the monkey puzzle tree around 25 years ago, when she moved into a new house and it was on the driveway.

"Dad said 'I like that tree' and it went into a little metal bin at first on the allotment.

"They're not supposed to keep that sort of thing there, but it grew and it stood out. He won best scarecrow of the year around and it was in the photo in the newspaper.

"The annoying thing was, I was just about to plant it in my garden, and then me and Mum could've had a reminder of Dad," Melanie explained.

She added that she could not imagine how the tree was taken - due to its very spiky leaves.

"Where it was positioned you couldn't really see it from the road and it's been there so long. They would've needed a code for the gates to get into the allotment

"And to take a tree over six foot that spiky and that awkward, I think it was set up. It's the fact that someone may have been watching my mum that worries me.

"It takes up so much of your time, caring for someone, and when these little things happen it really knocks you," Melanie said.