'Where has my daughter's memorial plaque gone?'

Anne Needham paid for the plaque to be added to the bench in memory of her daughter

A bereaved mother who bought a park bench in memory of her late daughter said she was "shocked" to be asked to pay £559 to cover its maintenance costs for the next 10 years.

Anne Needham paid more than £1,000 for the bench at Springfield Park in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in 2015.

On Friday she found her daughter's name plaque had been removed - even though she had been told she could renew by November.

Rochdale Borough Council previously said "terms are stated upon initial purchase" and the renewal payment would be used for "routine maintenance and upkeep". It has now agreed to add her daughter's plaque to her late husband's bench.

Ms Needham, whose husband died in 2020, said she "didn't realise that I had to pay more money" until she received a letter from the council requesting she pay £559 to renew a lease for another 10 years.

She told BBC Radio Manchester she had "no recollection" of being told the council required a renewal fee after the initial 10-year term.

Her daughter Elizabeth died aged 32 in 2003, five years after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Ms Needham said she wanted to set up a memorial bench at Springfield Park as they used to visit the park when her daughter was a baby.

"They had a paddling pool then – she was not a child that slept a lot so I used to take her and she used to run about."

She added the bench was "a nice thing to put in the park because people in the area would say 'Oh I sat on your Lizzie's bench'."

"I read somebody dies twice – once when they die, second when nobody speaks their name.

"So it was a nice way to keep her name and memories alive."

'I'm not paying'

Ms Needham added she was "a bit annoyed - shocked and sad" when she received the renewal payment request.

"If the bench was already there and I had paid to have the plaque on, I could possibly understand it but I actually bought the bench itself."

A Rochdale Borough Council spokesman said the "terms are explained to everybody that purchases a bench" and it was "not an unusual arrangement - lots of local authorities specify a period after which there is an option to renew".

Anne Needham says the plaque was removed despite being told she could renew the lease

"The renewal fee extends the memorial bench lease for 10 more years and includes routine maintenance and upkeep during this period. These terms are stated upon initial purchase.

"Should the owner choose not to renew maintenance after the initial 10-year term, dedication plaques are respectfully removed and returned to the owner or immediate family, allowing benches to be refurbished and made available for others."

Ms Needham said a stranger had "very kindly" offered to pay after local publicity about her story but she added: "I'm not paying it because I just feel it's a liberty that I bought a bench and [the council] are asking me to pay more money."