Self-Styled 'Witch' Destroys Memorials for Deceased Teen, Claims They 'Harmed the Environment'

A “WITCH” has destroyed a tribute to a dead teenager because it was not environmentally friendly.

Eco campaigner Teila Verch Dywenys cut down hundreds of ribbons from a tree in a church yard, leaving grieving furious.

The memorial ribbons at Knowlton Church before they were cut down Credit: BNPS Grieving parents Kelly and David Kennard said it was ‘disrespectful’ Credit: BNPS

The yew tree at Knowlton Church in Wimborne, , was covered in colourful ribbons, tied to the branches in remembrance of lost loved ones.

But self-proclaimed with Dywenys, filmed herself snipping off the ribbons because they were “plastic and “.

Outraged locals, who had tied strips to the tree as a poignant tribute to their dead family members, have criticised her actions.

Kelly Kennard, whose 18-year-old daughter Laionie died in a car crash in 2023, said: “These items are not decorations or litter – they are heartfelt tributes left by grieving families, each one carrying deep personal meaning and love.”

Laionie Kennard, who tragically died in 2023 at just 18 years old Credit: BNPS Medieval Knowlton Church in Wimborne, Dorset Credit: BNPS

Some of the ribbons removed had been tied there by Kelly’s younger daughter in memory of her beloved older sister.

She added: “For a child to express her grief in that way takes courage, and for those small acts of remembrance to be taken away is profoundly hurtful.

“It feels like a violation of a sacred space and a dismissal of the pain that families like mine carry every day.”

Another bereaved mother said she was heartbroken after the long tradition of leaving tributes on the tree had been destroyed.

She said: “I’m heartbroken that a member of the public who has not been approved by any council has taken down all the items by families to honour their loved ones from this beautiful tree at Knowlton Church.

“These items have been placed not just by my own family in the loving memory of my two daughters but other families who have found solace and peace in doing this.

“Families have been doing this going back 50 years or more.”

Environmental campaigner Dywenys is the founder of the Cleaner Clootie Campaign, which encourages people not to tie synthetic mementos to trees.

She said someone had “tipped her off” to the adorned tree.

The tarot-reader issued an apology to the grieving families, but reiterated it is not a “designated remembrance garden”.

She said: “The Cleaner Clootie Campaign sincerely apologises for any unintended hurt caused to you and your families.

“We were not aware of any specific bereavement group activity there and therefore it seems that specific memorial ribbons were cleared away alongside all other solid, non-biodegradable items found at the site.

“Knowlton, however, exists for all visitors and is not a designated remembrance garden and as such it needs to be respected and maintained as the wild place that it is.

“This being said, it is important that we all continue to feel that we can connect with nature and our departed loved ones there in meaningful, personal and prayerful ways.”

The eco campaigner recommended environmentally-friendly ways to memorialise loved ones, including leaving flowers, singing and reading poems.

Knowlton Church is a Norman building constructed on the site of a Neolithic ritual henge.

It is now managed by .

An English Heritage spokesman said: “We’re happy to see the site at the heart of the community and the mementoes in the tree have significance for many local people.

“But like other spontaneous memorials elsewhere, we are aware that not all share the same views about it.”