Funeral directors repair vandalised church statue
UGCSpecialist stone masons have been assessing the pieces of a vandalised church statue to repair it on behalf of a funeral directors.
The statue of Our Lady, which had stood outside St Alphonsus Church in North Ormesby in Middlesbrough since 1960, was found smashed on 20 December.
Father John Idio, parish priest for the church, said Relph's Funeral Services called him shortly after the incident to offer their help in getting the statue restored and reinstalled.
A spokesperson for the funeral directors said the damage was "substantial" and it was "not expected to be a straightforward repair".
Father Idio said the funeral directors had been "so gracious" in the aftermath of the incident, which he did not think was religiously motivated.
"[The statue] has been part of countless memories, from first holy communions to confirmations and weddings," he said.
"It's not just part of the church, it's a valued part of North Ormesby."
The spokesperson for Relphs said it was immediately clear how much the situation affected the local community.
"Places of worship play an important role in communities, offering comfort and reassurance to people at all stages of life," they said.
"With the church's permission, our staff carefully collected and secured as many fragments of the statue as possible, so that restoration could begin."
The spokesperson said specialists had assessed the damage and would begin work as "a matter of urgency".
