A mother has spoken of her anger and upset after a tree marking her son's grave in Mawgan was chopped to the ground without the family even being consulted.

Rose Snowden planted the miniature fir tree in St Mawgan-in-Meneage churchyard 11 years ago, at the head of her son Robert Marshall's grave, because she could not afford a headstone.

There it had remained for the last decade, as a permanent reminder of her son's love of nature after the 19-year-old builder lost his life in a motorcycle crash near Helston's recycling centre in May 2006.

Without warning, however, Rose's daughter Mary received a message from a family friend tipping her off that there had been a complaint about the tree and it would have to be removed.

Mary's other brother Richard arranged to travel down from up country two weeks later to dig it up, so that he could take the tree back with him to replant - only to discover that it had already been chopped down.

Rose said: "Richard turned up to find a stump in the ground. We're just absolutely angry that they have done this."

She claimed that at no time had the church got in contact with her or anyone in the family and they had to learn about the complaint from a friend.

Rose said she had chosen a miniature fir because Robert loved them - and also had a long history with them. As a child he climbed a friend's fir tree right to the top, only to fall out, hitting branches on the way down, but landing on his feet.

"That's what Robert was like - he had no fear," she added. "He loved trees and nature and that's why we put that there."

Rose claimed the church had said it was unable to contact the family - but she argued that with so many people knowing them in the village she found this hard to believe.

Her ex husband Tom, the father of her three children, was born in Mawgan and both his parents are buried in the same churchyard. The family lived at Gweek for many years, with the children all attending Garras Primary School.

When Robert's funeral was held at Mawgan Church there were so many mourners that speakers had to be put up outside, so that those unable to get in could hear the service.

"They obviously didn't try hard enough to find the family," she said.

Robert's brother Richard is now hoping to put a headstone on the grave.

Mawgan parish priest Rev Lesley Walker said she was not in a position to comment.

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