Fury as Southampton NHS volunteer pair fear gardener stole plants

Green-fingered Rebecca Bisson and Sheila Dickinson spent hours nurturing carefully-sourced shrubs designed to cheer up the grounds of Bitterne Health Centre in Commercial Street.

But their labour of love hit a setback after what they built was either completely ruined.

Four hydrangeas, a fuchsia, a Michaelmas daisy, a hollyhock, wallflowers, and a large penstemon were reported stolen. They fear a gardening pro took the plants.

READ MORE: Guerrilla gardening transforms disused flowerbed Sheila Dickinson (Left) Rebecca Bisson (Image: Bitterne Health Centre)

Rebecca, who works in IT for the civil service, said: “It is so sad as the plants had been there since early Spring and so much time and effort had gone into watering them, particularly during the hot spell in June.

“Whoever took them knew exactly what they were doing. They are clearly a gardener as they waited until the ground was damp before removing them.

“These accent plants were just coming into flower and would have had a real impact to transform the garden if they had been left alone to grow to their full potential.”

It is thought the same culprits were behind a previous plant theft from the site back in mid-July.

Sheila, a retired teaching assistant, added: "It has been really upsetting and disheartening that plants have been taken, especially some of the more substantial ones.

"We can’t believe that someone would do this."

READ MORE: Yellow warning as Storm Antoni set to hit SouthamptonRebecca Bisson (Left) and Sheila Dickinson (Image: Newsquest)

The volunteers and other staff members are devastated by the recent incident. 

They were hoping that once the flowers bloomed, they would bring a splash of colour to the entrance area of the busy health centre on Commercial Street.

Marie Ames, estates area manager, said: "Everyone is devastated about what has happened. It is so sad when the plants have been donated, along with Rebecca and Sheila’s precious time."

Stuart Francis, a security management specialist at Solent NHS Trust, said: "This is a particularly upsetting incident after two people have put in so much effort to try and improve the look of an NHS site.

"Someone must know who has done this. We would be really interested to hear from anyone in the area who has information, perhaps with the knowledge of someone who has recently planted shrubs matching the description of the ones we have lost."

While the recent turn of events has been disappointing, Rebecca and Sheila have vowed to continue with their garden project.