Exclusive:Sheffield woman upset as vandals target husband's memorial bench in Hillsborough Park in series of incidents
Hazel Broadhurst paid £1,360 to have a memoria bench installed in Hillsborough Park
A widow’s memorial bench to her late husband in a Sheffield park has been vandalised with graffiti for the second time in a fortnight - the latest in a string of acts of vandalism and anti-social behaviour at the much-loved recreation area.
Along with graffiti which has also appeared on the wall of an ice cream parlour on nearby Parkside Road, Hazel Broadhurst has also witnessed a quad bike racing through the park.
She said there have also been reports of ducklings being pelted with stones in the park and damage to trees.
Police confirmed investigations into the graffiti “have been filed pending any further evidence” as CCTV checks had been failed to yield results.
Hazel, aged 70, paid £1,360 to have the bench installed inside the Parkside Road entrance to Hillsborough Park three years ago.
She lost Hillsborough born and bred Paul - known locally as Bernard - after 11 years of marriage.
Engineer and mechanic Paul was so well-known in the area that wife Hazel wanted “people to remember him”. However she was “upset and angry” to find the bench tagged with the word “reck” on Thursday, April 16.
Then on Sunday last week, after it had been removed by the council, the memorial bench was vandalised again.
Speaking about the vandalism, Hazel said: “It’s a memorial and I paid a lot for it.
“When it happened the first time I was upset and a bit angry. I go and sit on there and talk to him. So do my stepson and stepdaughter and his friends do.
“It’s not the monetary value, it’s because it’s a memorial to Paul. Loads of people use that bench, it’s in a nice spot and people sit on it after going to the ice cream parlour.”
Hazel and Paul were married in 2011. He died in September 2023 aged 70.
Speaking about Paul, Hazel said: “Paul was such a clever man, he used to tinker with cars and went self-employed as a mechanic.
“He was so good - he could do plumbing, electrical, all sorts. People loved him and I wanted people to remember him. “
In recent weeks at Hillsborough Park there have been incidents of people racing along the central walkway on quads and motorbikes.
Saplings planted as part of a partnership with Tramlines music festival were snapped and there have been reports of youngsters throwing stones at ducklings.
Speaking about scenes she has witnessed, Hazel said: “A quad bike came in Parkside Road entrance with two young blokes on it, masked up with balaclavas and hoodies, shouting and laughing and screaming.
“They would have killed someone cause they wouldn’t have been able to move out of the way. Friends of mine around the corner, their grandchildren were on their pushbikes in the park last week.
“And they were that scared because lads on motorbikes were going over the grass and the paths. They had to come out of the park.”
Former NVQ assessor and exam invigilator Hazel, who is a member of walking group Step Out Sheffield, said: “It’s such a shame that a minority can spoil things. But I won’t let anybody stop me going to Hillsborough Park.”
Councillor Toby Mallinson, speaking about the increase, admitted there “was” an “antisocial element” in the park.
He added: “I know how hard the park staff work and the police are proactive in trying to catch the youngsters who doing this.
“But there is a big lack of youth services - the council is completely cash-strapped and the symptom of that is vandalism and petty crime.”
A police spokesperson said: “We received two reports of criminal damage in April, relating to a memorial bench in Hillsborough Park. It is reported that the bench, along with others in the park were vandalised with graffiti.
“Officers conducted enquiries which included checking the area for CCTV, to which there was no gain. Both investigations have been filed pending any further evidence coming to light.”