KENNETH SPEIRS
Work has started at a Paisley cemetery to restore old gravestones and memorials.
Woodside Cemetery has more than 4,000 graves and many of them date back as far as the 1800s.
And bosses have now enrolled three staff members in a Memorial Inspection and Reinstatement course.
Samuel McNicholl, David McNaughton and Robert Meney – all from Paisley and new recruits at Woodside – were put through their paces and learned all aspects of the work.
This included using lifting equipment and practical repairs for both large and small memorials.
The course, run by Glasgow City Council, aims to make sure they are now equipped with the skills to make safe dangerous memorials and reinstate fallen headstones.
Katrina Johnston, Woodside Crematorium manager, said: “We have noted that a number of our memorials have had to be laid flat due to health and safety reasons.
“Given the age of Woodside and a number of the graves within the cemetery, it’s highly unlikely that family members would be in a position to arrange for them to be reinstalled.
“For that reason we decided to step in and help preserve some of Paisley’s more historic graves.
“By investing in our staff and providing them with the skills to maintain and repair memorials, we hope to ensure Woodside continues to be a memorable place to celebrate the life of a loved one for many generations to come.”
Katrina added that staff training represents an ongoing commitment to the site.
It follows a multi- million pound refurbishment of the site’s crematorium Woodside Chapel, as well as the nearby Martyrs Chapel, which was completed in September.
The renovation works saw cutting- edge technology incorporated within the building, refreshed chapels, disabled access, an updated waiting room and visual tributes, along with separate family and autism friendly areas.
The works saw the crematorium closed for a month.
We hope to ensure Woodside continues to be a memorable place to celebrate the life of a loved one