Ref. 30194-05PEOPLE who have planted trees in memory of loved ones at the site of the proposed new Swindon Town stadium say the plans to build on it are disrespectful.

Around 46,000 trees have been planted at the Shaw community forest near Sparcells.

Some of these thousands of trees are memorials to late family and friends and the thought of them being bulldozed over is "too painful to bear".

For Barbara and Kelly Rayment this is exactly the case.

Saturday's protest against the stadium plans along Mead Way was largely peaceful but at one point scenes turned nasty when a driver refused to wait for protesters to move out of the road.

Two of the campaigners in the thick of the action were mother and daughter Barbara and Kelly of Sparcells and Taw Hill respectively.

They have been involved in tree planting schemes at the Shaw community forest since Kelly was eight years old.

And when Kelly's father Bill died two years ago a cancer victim aged 52 it seemed fitting to plant a tree there in his memory.

Now, faced with the prospect of these memorials being ripped apart by stadium bulldozers, Kelly is heartbroken.

The 23-year-old said: "This community has been let down so badly. The prospect of a stadium here instead of the forest we have all been enjoying is ridiculous.

"I've planted trees here in memory of my father. Coming to the forest reminds me of being with him. If they put a stadium on top of it all, that emotional bond will be ruined forever."

Her mother Barbara said: "This land has been promised to the community. If the council allows this to go ahead they will have cheated us all."

Brother and sister Brett, 10, and Melissa King, nine, of Orrin Close, Sparcells feel strongly that destroying the forest would mean destroying part of their childhood memories.

They have been planting trees at the community forest since they were toddlers and planted trees there in memory of their grandfather who died in 1999.

Their mum Tracy said: "We went to the protest to show just how disgusted we are by the thought of the football club bulldozing over my father's memorial.

"We can see his trees from our home and we love that fact.

"We don't want a huge stadium filled with rowdy fans on our doorstep instead. We're not the only family with trees here in memory of loved ones. It will be a mark of disrespect to rip out our memorials.

"It's not that we're against the club having a new stadium. We're just against having it on our forest which has been earmarked for community use."

Swindon Town says the stadium will be a great asset to the town, as it will include a sports village.

Emma-Kate Lidbury