A family is reunited with their father’s memorial bench after it was swept away and found 80 miles away.
The storm, Darragh, hit Anglesey in December. It ripped the bench right from its base. People found it months later on a beach far away. This beach was in Cumbria, about 80 miles away.
Locals found the Batcock family using an inscription on the wooden seat. They kept the bench safe, then returned it to the family. Bill Batcock’s daughter, Helen Wharton, spoke, saying her dad would think it was funny, as he loved jokes and loved living life.
Mr. Batcock loved being outdoors. He asked his family to place the bench on Anglesey at Bull Bay. He liked the sea and adventure.
Only the backrest of the bench remained. The Irish Sea carried it up the coast, traveling 80 miles. Ms. Wharton met the kind helpers on Friday. The meeting happened on Drigg beach, near Seascale in Cumbria, the very beach the bench washed up on.
The bench returned on a special day, seven years after her father passed. Ms. Wharton found it very strange. Shaun Davis discovered the bench on Drigg beach near Seascale, initially thinking it was just a piece of wood.
He posted a picture online. Megan O’Gorman then found the family and gave the bench back to them. She loves a good story like this.