A BROMSGROVE woman has slammed the state of the cemetery where her parents are laid to rest.
Julia Davies was at a loss and asked Lickey and Blackwell Parish Council for help after she saw the grass extremely overgrown and the ground unsafe at the Holy Trinity Church on Rose Hill. She was told there was no money available to fund the maintenance so the grass could only be cut twice a year.
When Julia visited the cemetery on Sunday (July 17) she found the council had only cut part of the grass and had still left the rest in a mess.
“It is such a mess and yet the church side is lovely.
“It is so unfair and it is dangerous for visitors because you don’t know where you are treading.
“It is not right for the people who are buried there, it is so disrespectful.
“It is not only me. There are couples I have seen there who are just as upset by it as I am.
“I go there every Sunday to talk to her and see it in that state is just heartbreaking.”
Helen Doherty, executive officer at the parish council, said Bromsgrove District would no longer reimburse the grass-cutting costs on a regular basis and so they had adopted the God’s Acre programme which sees the area filled with wild flowers and poppies around the war memorial which would improve the look of the cemetery long-term.
“The grass is cut twice a year but the pathways to the grave stones are strimmed regularly to ensure everyone can get them easily. “
A district council spokeswoman said it was not a cemetery the authority was responsible for and previous financial arrangements for its maintenance were never formalised under the relevant legislation.
“With ever increasing pressures on all resources within the authority Bromsgrove District Council took the difficult decision to cease funding a number of years ago.”
Rev Margaret Brighton said the church joined with the parish council to adopt the God’s Acre programme and when she visited the grounds it was filled with wild flowers which had to be cut down to encourage more to grown.
“It is really difficult at the moment now we are in that ‘in between’ stage and I am concerned this lady is so distressed.
“A fortnight ago it was full of the most beautiful wild flowers which were told to cut down to encourage more to grow in the hope it will be a wonderful wild meadow.
“There are no plots to lay anyone else to rest in that area and we are hoping to make a beautiful place for the families of those resting there.”
