RECENTLY my wife and I visited Salisbury Crematorium on the anniversary of the death of my wife’s mother, Phyllis Rogers.

We were hoping to see the bluebells which Phyllis had so much loved and which we had contributed to the purchase of some years ago.

To our horror, all the plants in the avenue had been mown down before fully flowering.

We were very disappointed with the overall state of the garden of memory. It was, it seemed, little cared for, even allowing for the wet winter weather.

We could find no roses or the plaque for William J Rogers. We did see the notice about deer having eaten the roses, but surely these should have been replanted by now?

The general state of what was once a lovely garden was sorrowful, considering this is supposed to be a preserved area. Or is it now preserved for wild deer, not the memory of our loved ones?

A very sad state of affairs when a few wild deer, which belong in the countryside not the city, become more important than people. A sorrowful sight.

J Carcary, Shaftesbury