Couple 'overwhelmed' with response after flower planters destroyed

For the past three years, Stephen Mousdell and Kev Poole have been revamping flower boxes, replacing planters, and planting an arrangement of flowers across St Helens and Haydock in 2021.

Working in their spare time and often through the night, the couple have committed to the 'Haydock and St Helens in Bloom' project to improve the look of the local area and help brighten people's day.

The pair have also been known to leave bunches of flowers for people to take home, and many residents have sent them positive comments and donations so they can continue their project.

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Ste and Kev have become well known for their good deeds (Image: Kev Poole)
However, while the project has attracted heaps of positivity, there have been repeated incidents of vandalism over the years, with Ste and Kev often forced to head out to clean and repair the sites at their own cost.

While some of their displays have been knocked over, damaged, and destroyed, over the weekend, a display they were working near Tesco in Haydock was destroyed twice in one night.

After spending hours filling and placing the circular planters on Clipsey Lane, they then worked into the early hours of Sunday morning to repair the damaged site, only to find that it had been destroyed for a second time when they woke up.

The planters on Clipsey lLane were damaged twice in a day (Image: Kev Poole)
Infuriated, Kev and Ste initially decided they would give up with the planters at this site but after reporting the damage online, they were "overwhelmed" by the response from the community.

Hundreds of people had commented or messaged the pair to thank them for their tireless work and condemn the actions of those who vandalised the site.

Other people went even further and donated to the pair's online fundraiser to help repair the sites, including a £500 donation from Think Estate Agents in Newton-le-Willows.

Kevin Bellion from K&A Tools in Haydock also came out on his day off to help repair the flower planters and make them more stable.

Kevin Bellion came to help repair the pair's planters on his day off (Image: Kev Poole)
Kev said: "We've sadly come to expect the vandalism as it has happened a few times now, but it really got to us over the weekend as it happened twice in a night and we thought it was targeted.

"We work so hard to keep all the planters going and thought we can't carry on with this if they keep getting damaged.

"'We've since found out that it wasn't targeted, and the response we have had has been overwhelming.

"So many people have given us their support and we had people driving past and offering us money, and others paying for our coffees.

"They wouldn't take no for an answer and all said they are really appreciative of what we're doing."

The couple were on the verge of giving up before the community rallied around them (Image: Kev Poole)
Ste added: "We started choking up in the response to the mass community spirit in trying to resurrect what was destroyed, after so many unpaid hours and labour was put into the displays.

"We have all intentions in putting out the final railing planters which will be going at Small Wonders on Church Road, Haydock Lane traffic lights and Haydock High School on Clipsley Lane.

"Once again thank you [to everyone], it shows that there is so much love and passion and community spirit in St Helens despite the doom and gloom."

You can donate to the St Helens and Haydock In Bloom project here.