Mum's horror as memorial bench destroyed in fire

A mum has spoken of her "absolute horror" at finding out her son's memorial bench had been destroyed in a suspected arson attack.

Max George died in 2022 after having a diabetic-related heart attack at the age of 13.

A bench dedicated to him, in Queen Elizabeth II field in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, was burnt to the ground in the early hours of bank holiday Monday.

"This bench wasn't just a bench," said Max's mother Tara George. "It was where we sat with Max as a family eating our picnic while he complained about the lack of a picnic table."

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said its crews were called to the fire at 00:39 BST on Monday and used buckets of water to put it out.

The bench was one of two originally installed in memory of Max following a fundraising effort in 2022.

Antonio Piazza, former Trowbridge councillor, said the fire had "understandably saddened and frustrated many people across the community".

However, he added he had been "encouraged by the overwhelming response from local residents" who had so far raised £1,000 towards replacing the bench.

George said her eldest son discovered the bench had been destroyed when he saw a picture of it on social media.

"It broke me seeing that absolute horror," she added.

"I have understandably seen a lot of angry responses."

She said people in the town had helped "so much" by fundraising for the original bench.

"[They] have no idea how much their donations and kind words helped us heal," she added.

Wiltshire Police said enquiries were ongoing and asked anyone with information to get in touch.

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