A POINGANT use of wood from the 18 felled London plane trees in Pershore's Broad Street has been made by the family of a teenager who died in a canal accident last week.

Seventeen-year-old Sean Stevens, who was originally from Pershore, was pulled from Bilford Top Lock, in Perdiswell, Worcester, at around 8.50pm on Thursday March 31.

He was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital but had already suffered a cardiac arrest and could not be saved.

Pershore Town Council says it has been contacted by Sean's family to see if some of the saved wood from the Broad Street trees which were felled last month could be used to make a bench in his memory.

They would like it positioned in Abbey Park on land looked after by Wychavon District Council

At a recent meeting of the town council it was discussed that use of the tree trunks could be made in some way for the town and members will discuss this suggestion at full council on Thursday April 14.

Cllr David Annis said he was sure fellow councillors would approve of the suggestion.

"I think it would be a lovely way to use some of the wood. It is currently being stored by Worcestershire County Council and I am told it can be treated and used without it needing to be seasoned. We will discuss the request at the meeting and I am sure everyone will agree it is a good idea.

"There have been a few ideas put forward for use of the wood and one is to use a couple of them in St George's Field, near the football club.

The idea is for them to be carved and placed as pieces of art; perhaps even as signposts."

Cllr Annis said he was always against the plane trees being taken down and was in favour of the wood being put to good use in the community.

There are currently three crowdfunding pages which have been set up in Sean's memory to purchase a bench in Pershore, as well as another near Bilford Top Lock where Sean died and another to help raise money for his funeral.

They can be found at: crowdfunding.justgiving.com/tiffany-smith-1 for the Abbey Park bench; crowdfunding.justgiving.com/Seansbenchjustgiving for a bench at Bilford Top Lock and crowdfunding.justgiving.com/lynne-essex-1 to help with funeral costs.