The Parish Council has officially rescinded the order to remove our memorials. Knowing that our families can continue to visit these graves as we intend provides a peace of mind that is difficult to put into words. I will remain observant to ensure the Council continues to honor the agreement …
April 14, 2018
Final supporters
The recent notice displayed at Sileby Cemetery has caused local bereaved families a huge amount of upset and distress. The notice states that 'unauthorised memorials' on our loved ones graves must be removed straight away or they will be removed by the Council on 20th April 2018.
This decision has been made without any consultation with deed-holders and definitely without considering the feelings of the families affected by it. The minutes found online from the Sileby Parish Council meeting in January 2018 state that deed-holders will be 'met halfway' and be allowed a foot of space following the headstone to maintain how we wish. They failed to mention this on the notice displayed at the cemetery. Despite only hearing of this decision now (March 2018) the minutes regarding this matter date back to August 2017.
On a personal note, my family and I visit our baby son's grave very often and it is a huge part of our lives to be able to decorate his grave as we wish. Our children regularly visit with us and bring toys, and this to us will be a tradition for the rest of our lives. We have no other way of making memories with our son and if this honour is taken away from us, the result of that would be beyond devastating. A vital part of the grieving process for any bereaved family is visiting their loved ones grave and bringing flowers/ornaments etc and making it look personal to them.
Having a number of small ornaments and decorations does not affect the maintenance of the cemetery - our son has been there for almost 4 years now and the cemetery always looks well maintained and the grass around each grave is always cut neatly with no problems. There has been silence from the Council regarding this matter until now, yet there have always been memorials there. I find it extremely difficult to understand how pretty ornaments and well presented graves stop the cemetery from being a "safe, tranquil and dignified environment" as quoted from the notice displayed.
I urge Sileby Parish Council to reconsider their decision as the hurt and upset caused by this will affect individuals for their entire lifetime.
This petition will be sent to Sileby Parish Council, in particular the Clerk, Mrs Richardson.
Please sign and help us to keep Sileby Cemetery as the beautiful, peaceful place that it is.
Updates
March 30, 2018
Reaching one thousand signatures serves as a quiet reminder of how many families are navigating the same profound grief that my own family faces. This milestone confirms that our desire to honor our loved ones with dignity is a shared experience rather than an isolated struggle.
Reached 1,000 supporters
March 28, 2018
Reached 100 supporters
March 26, 2018
343 Comments
Allow families to grieve as they wish, show some compassion. Think outside the box, put guidelines to help families maintain and not affect the environment. Do not make this a place families resent to come to because their voices were not heard.
As a woman who has also lost a baby I cannot imagine being unable to decorate my baby's grave... something so special and the last place you can visit your child at... it's disgusting the council are saying this to this poor family
My grandson is buried there & we put things on is grave that we cant give him as he was born asleep. I realy do not see the harm in having ornaments etc on the graves & the upset it will cause to families is uneccasary!
I think it's awful people still grieve for many many years and there way of coping is to put stuff on there loved ones resting place. We have to pay alot of money for the plot so they have there right to put what they like on his resting place.
As an angel mummy, I know how important these little items are - the memories, the meaning, the need to make our babies resting place beautiful. If you have never lost a child, you will never understand the need, but please show some compassion and understanding to those who have.
A cemetery is a sacred space for those who have lost a loved one. Allowing people to maintain the grave of a loved one in the way they wish is the very least that can be done to go some small way towards supporting them in their grief. If any small adjustments are needed in the maintenance of the cemetery to accommodate this then they should be made as a simple act of human kindness.
This is ridiculous for what good reason are they asking them to not put things on a grave? And then to threaten them,it is disgusting
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
The Parish Council has officially rescinded the order to remove our memorials. Knowing that our families can continue to visit these graves as we intend provides a peace of mind that is difficult to put into words. I will remain observant to ensure the Council continues to honor the agreement …
April 14, 2018
Final supporters
The recent notice displayed at Sileby Cemetery has caused local bereaved families a huge amount of upset and distress. The notice states that 'unauthorised memorials' on our loved ones graves must be removed straight away or they will be removed by the Council on 20th April 2018.
This decision has been made without any consultation with deed-holders and definitely without considering the feelings of the families affected by it. The minutes found online from the Sileby Parish Council meeting in January 2018 state that deed-holders will be 'met halfway' and be allowed a foot of space following the headstone to maintain how we wish. They failed to mention this on the notice displayed at the cemetery. Despite only hearing of this decision now (March 2018) the minutes regarding this matter date back to August 2017.
On a personal note, my family and I visit our baby son's grave very often and it is a huge part of our lives to be able to decorate his grave as we wish. Our children regularly visit with us and bring toys, and this to us will be a tradition for the rest of our lives. We have no other way of making memories with our son and if this honour is taken away from us, the result of that would be beyond devastating. A vital part of the grieving process for any bereaved family is visiting their loved ones grave and bringing flowers/ornaments etc and making it look personal to them.
Having a number of small ornaments and decorations does not affect the maintenance of the cemetery - our son has been there for almost 4 years now and the cemetery always looks well maintained and the grass around each grave is always cut neatly with no problems. There has been silence from the Council regarding this matter until now, yet there have always been memorials there. I find it extremely difficult to understand how pretty ornaments and well presented graves stop the cemetery from being a "safe, tranquil and dignified environment" as quoted from the notice displayed.
I urge Sileby Parish Council to reconsider their decision as the hurt and upset caused by this will affect individuals for their entire lifetime.
This petition will be sent to Sileby Parish Council, in particular the Clerk, Mrs Richardson.
Please sign and help us to keep Sileby Cemetery as the beautiful, peaceful place that it is.
Updates
March 30, 2018
Reaching one thousand signatures serves as a quiet reminder of how many families are navigating the same profound grief that my own family faces. This milestone confirms that our desire to honor our loved ones with dignity is a shared experience rather than an isolated struggle.
Reached 1,000 supporters
March 28, 2018
Reached 100 supporters
March 26, 2018
343 Comments
Appalling treatment of bereaved families. This is 2018 not Victorian era. As long as displays are not offensive or intruding on other plots then what is the harm. Let families remember and share in whichever way they choose.
Allow families to grieve as they wish, show some compassion. Think outside the box, put guidelines to help families maintain and not affect the environment. Do not make this a place families resent to come to because their voices were not heard.
As a woman who has also lost a baby I cannot imagine being unable to decorate my baby's grave... something so special and the last place you can visit your child at... it's disgusting the council are saying this to this poor family
My grandson is buried there & we put things on is grave that we cant give him as he was born asleep. I realy do not see the harm in having ornaments etc on the graves & the upset it will cause to families is uneccasary!
I think it's awful people still grieve for many many years and there way of coping is to put stuff on there loved ones resting place. We have to pay alot of money for the plot so they have there right to put what they like on his resting place.
As an angel mummy, I know how important these little items are - the memories, the meaning, the need to make our babies resting place beautiful. If you have never lost a child, you will never understand the need, but please show some compassion and understanding to those who have.
A cemetery is a sacred space for those who have lost a loved one. Allowing people to maintain the grave of a loved one in the way they wish is the very least that can be done to go some small way towards supporting them in their grief. If any small adjustments are needed in the maintenance of the cemetery to accommodate this then they should be made as a simple act of human kindness.
This is ridiculous for what good reason are they asking them to not put things on a grave? And then to threaten them,it is disgusting
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
Appalling treatment of bereaved families. This is 2018 not Victorian era. As long as displays are not offensive or intruding on other plots then what is the harm. Let families remember and share in whichever way they choose.