A 79-year-old Liverpool great-grandmother has spoken of her shock after a 46-year-old ivy plant, cherished by her family and the local community, was torn from her house during the high winds of Storm Boelo.
Patricia Carroll has lived at the corner of North Sudley Road in Aigburth for 46 years, and for much of that time one side of the house she shares with her husband has been covered by the distinctive ivy. After 9am this morning, that is no longer the case, with the storm battering the region.
'Terrible grating sound'
Patricia told the ECHO: "It was very shocking. I just heard this terrible grating sound. I thought a car might have hit the side of the house. When I looked out I couldn't believe it, the whole thing had just been ripped off the wall and had folded over onto our lawn."
She added: "It's lucky that no one was near it because it is so heavy and could have injured someone."
Patricia, who has five daughters, 12 grandchildren and a great-grandchild, said her whole family has been left devastated by the sudden loss of the ivy, which was a big part of their lives.
Family 'traumatised' by loss
She said: "It's terrible, the family are all traumatised by it to be honest, it is all they have ever known. Everyone knows our house as the one with the ivy. It's no longer the case I am afraid."
"It has been quite a day, the phone hasn't stopped ringing and people have been knocking on the door asking about it."
Speaking about the origins of the ivy, the great-grandmother explained: "The ivy just started growing when we moved in and it never stopped. Eventually it took over the whole side of the house. We would occasionally get it trimmed back and people would come up to us and say 'you're not getting rid of it are you?!?'"
She added: "The whole family are really upset, it has been a big part of our family for a long time. It's been like a trademark for our house."
Question of removal
Now that Patricia is over the initial shock, attention is turning to what can be done to remove the ivy from her garden. She said: "We are now wondering what to actually do about it because we can't move it. It's like a brick wall, you can't just brush it up."
Anyone in the community who may be able to help Patricia is asked to contact liam.thorp@reachplc.com so messages can be forwarded to the family. Storm Boelo has caused havoc across Merseyside this weekend.
