8,000 sign petition over grave tributes ALEX SCAPENS
AHUGE protest is demanding Stockport Council change its mind over a ‘cruel’ decision to remove flowers and presents from graves.
More than 8,000 people have signed a petition called Save Our Loved Ones at Mill Lane Cemetery in Cheadle.
A protest, expected to attract more than 100 people, is planned outside Fred Perry House on Friday from 1pm.
Furious relatives of people who are buried at the cemetery, on Manchester Road, say they should be allowed to place tributes in front of headstones.
But the council says this interferes with maintenance and has caused complaints from other plot holders. So it will enforce its existing policy from September 1 and remove items.
Gaynor Bradburn, 52, from Heaton Mersey, has visited her mum’s grave at the cemetery for the last decade and is leading the protest. She said: “We just want a little bit of space in front of the headstone, it really means a lot as there is nowhere else we can leave gifts.
“It is cruel what they are trying to do. It’s appalling.
“I’ve been called by a very distressed lady saying they are taking stuff from her baby’s grave and an old lady heartbroken because her son’s grave is there.”
Gaynor says the offer that ‘one or two’ items can be left to the side of headstones is not practical because there is not enough space between plots. Among those to sign the petition on change.org is Natalie Jobson, who commented: “Where my babies are at rest, please sign for me, I always take little token gifts down - teddies, flowers, solar lights.
“Fills me with comfort that I can do something for them and that they are remembered.”
Another, Christine Bamforth, said: “Our family gets comfort from leaving flowers for my father-in-law - he loved his garden.”
The Friends of Mill lane Cemetery work closely with the council to keep the place tidy.
A spokesman said: “Unfortunately, there are a small number of families who don’t maintain their grave in keeping with the lawn style that they agreed to.
“We all need to work together to ensure we have a setting that is fair to everyone, offering the respect, dignity and tranquillity.”
Councillor Sheila Bailey, executive member for communities, said: “We understand people grieve in different ways, which can include leaving personal items around and along grave spaces.
“However, we have received complaints about this as it is against the cemetery’s rules.
“We’ve also found some of the left items to be damaged or scattered along the cemetery, making it difficult to keep the cemetery’s lawn tidy and safe.
“That’s why we’re writing to ask the people who own the graves to remove personal items from around or along the grave spaces, so the cemetery can be properly maintained and accessible to everyone.”