A grieving mother has described the devastation of discovering that her late daughter's memorial bench had been deliberately set on fire, saying it felt like she was "watching her take her last breath" all over again.
The bench, dedicated to beloved nursery teacher Bethannie Booth, had become a place of comfort not only for her family but for the wider Abercanaid community following her death in 2023. It was destroyed in an apparent act of vandalism during the early hours of Tuesday, July 15.
The Tragic Loss of Bethannie Booth
Bethannie, from Merthyr Tydfil, was just 24 when she died after developing what initially appeared to be cold and flu symptoms. She first became unwell on March 2, 2023, but her condition rapidly deteriorated over the following days. After struggling to breathe, she was rushed to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, where she was immediately taken into resuscitation before being transferred to intensive care.
Doctors discovered that a Strep A infection had caused one of her lungs to collapse. Despite fighting for five weeks in intensive care, Bethannie died on March 31, surrounded by her parents, Wayne and Leanne, and sisters.
Recalling those final moments, her mother said the memories remain as vivid as ever. "Just before our Bethannie was placed into an induced coma, she messaged me, her dad and her two sisters," she said. "At first she FaceTimed me and I couldn't understand her. There was so much beeping and she couldn't breathe properly, so I said, 'Sweetheart, message mammy.'"
"She messaged me and said, 'Mam, they are putting me in an induced coma. I am in so much pain - I can't take it anymore. My body needs this.' I didn't want her to go into a coma because I was too scared. But she was an adult and could make her own choices."
Final Messages and a Planned Celebration of Life
Before she was sedated, Bethannie sent heartfelt messages to each member of her family. "The last message she sent me was: 'Mam, don't go worrying now. My body needs this. I love you.' And that was it."
Leanne said Bethannie also sent a message to her eldest sister, Nia-Ffion, telling her: "Ffi, I am not going to make this. This is what I want in my funeral." She had already planned every detail, from the music and flowers to the clothes guests should wear, asking that it be remembered as "a celebration of her life" rather than a funeral.
To her other sister, Megan, she wrote: "All I ask of you Meg is, please, look after mammy and daddy, please." "Bethannie would always tell us, 'You'll never have to worry when you're older because I'll always be here. I'll always look after you because I'm never moving out,'" Leanne added with a laugh.
The Memorial Bench: A Place of Solace
Months after her death, Leanne's daughters encouraged her to leave the house and take a walk with her grandchildren. That walk led them to 'The Wern', a picturesque nature reserve just minutes from the family home, where Bethannie had spent time with friends growing up. "When I got there, I was hit with memories like a smack in the face," Leanne said. "It took my breath away. It was like watching a movie. I could see my Bethannie there with all her friends playing. I looked around and thought, 'Wow, this is where Bethannie's bench is going to go.'"
Installed in 2024, the memorial bench quickly became far more than a tribute. Surrounded by birdsong, butterflies and the nearby river, it became a place where family, friends and strangers alike could sit, reflect and remember. "Every season I make or buy a pretty wreath for it and it's never been touched or harmed," Leanne said. "It has come to mean so, so much to us."
Her 13-year-old son, Corey, passes the bench every day on his way to and from school. She added: "Every time he passes it, he kisses his hand and places it on her plaque, saying good morning." The bench has also become a place where Bethannie's younger nieces and nephews learn about the aunt some of them never had the chance to meet.
Community Impact and the Arson Attack
While the bench was created in Bethannie's memory, Leanne said it belonged just as much to the community that loved her. "Bethannie touched so many people. She lit up every room she walked into. If someone was down in the gutter, she'd pick them back up." As a nursery teacher, the children adored her and the school she worked in was fantastic. "It wasn't just for our family. It was for everybody."
She recalled one man telling her the bench had helped him process the deaths of his parents and brother. "He said, 'I sit on that bench and smile. Have a little cry. And then it brings back the smile.'" That is why the phone call her husband Wayne received shortly after 4am on July 15 was so devastating. A neighbour told him the bench was alight.
When Wayne went to the scene, emergency services had already arrived. A spokesperson for South Wales Police confirmed that they are now investigating the incident. They said: “South Wales Police is investigating reports of an arson to a memorial bench in Abercanaid, Merthyr Tydfil, that happened around 4am on Tuesday July 14.”
Outpouring of Support and a New Bench
The following morning, Leanne immediately sensed something was wrong. "He said, 'It's best that I show you.' I thought something had happened to one of my children or grandchildren," she said. "Then he showed me a photo and I said, 'Don't tell me that's our Bethannie's bench?' He just shook his head, his eyes filled up, and he walked away." "I put my head in my hands and just kept asking, 'Why?' We have no enemies. Bethannie certainly had no enemies. I just wanted answers."
The emotional impact, she said, was overwhelming. "Honestly, hearing about it took me straight back to witnessing my daughter take her last breath. It took me back to that very day when I watched the daughter I gave birth to, carried for seven months, cared for and loved, take her final breath. It was like somebody putting their hand into my chest and squeezing it so tight and stamping all over it. I felt physically sick."
In the hours after the fire, Leanne appealed on Facebook for information about whoever was responsible. Instead of anger, she said, what followed was an extraordinary display of kindness. "The amount of support we had as a family was phenomenal," she said. "Companies contacted us saying, 'Please come down and choose whatever bench you want, at no cost.' We were overwhelmed."
She said the local council also assured the family the memorial bench would be replaced, much to the gratitude of the family. In addition to this, friends of Bethannie have continued to rally around the family, recently arriving at their home with flowers, a card and a voucher. "They're feeling it too because they go down there to remember her," Leanne said.
Reflecting on the community's response, she believes compassion has eclipsed cruelty. "I said to Wayne that good has really overpowered evil. We are so thankful to Bethannie's friends and to this community - the people of Abercanaid. This bench is for them as much as it is for us. It's Bethannie's legacy and she will never ever be forgotten."
