UPSET Doreen Dykes is the victim of vandals who wrecked her memorial to her late husband in a Bournemouth churchyard.

Doreen, who has recently had to give up bell ringing at St Peter's Church in Bournemouth town centre as she can no longer climb the stairs, planted two trees to remember Bert who gave more than 70 years service to the church.

The pair, who were both bell ringers at St Peter's in their youth, first found love on a church outing to the Isle of Wight in 1948, and were together until Bert's death, aged 78, in 1995.

Doreen, 75, whose bad hip is making it hard to walk, said: "This is not the first time I have had trees vandalised there and I don't know if I can replace them this time.

"There was an Acacia and a Paper Birch, which I planted in 1998 after the last ones were vandalised. I had hoped that as my husband stayed with the church for all his life, his trees might remain forever.

"I had been looking at them very much and praying for them but I suppose I thought they would have to go in the end, there are so many drunk people in the town centre at night.

"The rector, Canon Jim Richardson, is trying to get hold of someone at the town hall to see if they will replace them.

"Bert went to the old St Peter's School which was next to the Maple's furniture store near the church. The boys were all in the choir until their voices broke.

"He went to do his duty in World War Two. He couldn't serve on the front line because he had a short right arm which was damaged when he was born and he became a despatch driver instead when he joined up."

Bert worked as a car mechanic before and after the war and spent the last 15 years of his working life as a postman.

Doreen, of Heathfield Avenue, Wallisdown, remembered: "I have been a bell ringer for 52 years and I met my husband in the church. We were in the youth club.

"When I go to St Peter's at the moment I have to take a lot of painkillers because of one of my hip replacements which is very painful now, and I can't climb the stairs to ring the bells."