Villagers' shock at theft of sculpted animal bench

17 hours ago

Alex Pope

News image — The bench features two dogs and a horse, reflecting rural life in the Cambridgeshire village

Supplied A large wooden bench that has sculptures of animals on each side. On the left is a horse's head, with roses on its mane, and a small dog underneath it. On the right is a large dog, looking towards the horse. There is a fence behind the bench and trees all around. — The bench features two dogs and a horse, reflecting rural life in the Cambridgeshire village

Village residents have been left "shocked" and "stunned" after a beloved wooden bench that has animals carved into it was stolen.

Sue Welch, from Marholm, near Peterborough, said the one-of-a-kind piece of furniture that "weighed a tonne" was taken between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

Chainsaw carver Kimberly Hone, originally from the US, said she donated it to the village "as a piece of my heart as they gave me theirs", after she relocated in 2019 and stayed for a few years. She said the theft had left her "heartbroken".

Cambridgeshire Police has been contacted for comment.

Supplied Kimberly Hone making the bench using a chainsaw. She is wearing protective clothing, a cap and safety googles. She is bent down, working on a dog design. — It took Kimberly Hone over a year to complete the work

Welch, the chairman of the parish council, said Hone had won prizes for her work and created the "beloved work of art" in 2021 to reflect the village that was "full of people with horses and dogs".

"It's an absolute beauty. It took months to make and it took an army of people to put it together, it weighs a tonne.

"I can't imagine how it happened. The village has been left absolutely shocked, stunned and devastated - it's totally irreplaceable.

"It was well anchored down. We had to put it together on site and each piece was so heavy, even a farmer helped lift it in place with machinery.

"Now we've just got an empty base with all the metal screws cut off."

Supplied A close up of the horse's head. — The bench was sculpted out a tree that was grown on the nearby Milton Hall estate

Speaking back in the US, Hone said she worked on the bench "bit by bit" for a year.

It was a present to Marholm, "as the community was so beautiful, it gave me my home for four years".

"It's heartbreaking. I had dreams of bringing my son back here, as I carved his name underneath and dreamed of him crawling under it and finding his name.

"It feels like a bit of my heart has been stolen. I just hope they can find it and get it back to its home."