A memorial for those on Teesside who lost their lives after being cared for at Teesside Hospice has been vandalised.

Last Friday, (July 29) saw the launch of the Sunflower Memories with around 400 local people entrusting Teesside Hospice with dedications and memories of their loved one.

Despite having security patrols each night, however, people have managed to find a way to deface the display and steal 15 sunflowers within the last two days.

Each individual sunflower holds the memories of loved ones across the Teesside area.

Read more: Body found in search of man in his 30s who was reported missing yesterday

The memorial was for people to come and mourn, remember, and cherish memories with their families.

Those families affected ask for anyone with any knowledge of this criminal damage to come forward and take responsibility.

Sadly, this does not only impact the sunflowers, but it also impacts the income of the hospice, because these stolen sunflowers must be replaced by the hospice adding additional costs to the appeal.

Teesside Hospice workers have surveyed Saltburn Pier and know which sunflowers have been damaged. Each sunflower that has been defaced, damaged or stolen, will be replaced with immediate effect.

A spokesperson for Teesside Hospice said: “We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused to a supporter or their family. We have put every precaution in place to prevent this from happening, but sometimes evil behaviour is something we cannot control.”

If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to The Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here.

Read next: