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Plea as grass hides graves in Blackburn cemetery

12:00pm Friday 3rd July 2009 in


A CHURCH minister has appealed for help to tackle out-of-control grass in a churchyard that has grown so high it hides the graves of people buried there.

Rev Christine Jones said the small congregation at New Road Methodist Church, in Blackburn, was no longer able to maintain the churchyard.

Relatives of people buried there said they were “heartbroken” because they could not find their loved ones’ graves as the weeds had grown so high.

Rev Jones said the Probation Service had previously helped out by providing people to tend to the churchyard, in Heys Lane, but this had stopped in recent months.

She said: “We have a small congregation of 15 which doesn’t have the resources, financially or physically, to maintain the graveyard in the condition that we would want to see it kept.

“This is a burial ground and we need to respect the people interred there.

“Any help we could be given or a financial donation would be very welcome.

"It’s not in the condition I would like to see it in, but I recognise there are not the resources at the moment because there are a great deal of demands.”

Anyone willing to clear the weeds would need proper insurance and equipment, she added.

Jean Judge, of Stoneyhurst Avenue, Burnley, said that she was no longer able to find the graves of her mother, grandmother and grandfather who are buried there because the grass was more than five foot high in some places.

The 62-year-old said: “The grass is so deep it’s absolutely disgusting. You just can’t find your relatives’ grave.

“It has always been a mess, but I have never seen it that bad.

“It is just heartbreaking.”

Comments(10)

A Darener says...
12:31pm Fri 3 Jul 09

I think it is New ROW Methodist Church, not "Road"

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The Artful Labourer says...
1:54pm Fri 3 Jul 09

Your quite right it is New Row. LET really doing their homework!

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whereistedward says...
2:20pm Fri 3 Jul 09

The Council has recently cut privately owned land at Jacks Key Dr in Darwen - so why can't they do this too ??

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Grizzly says...
2:34pm Fri 3 Jul 09

I heard an advert on The Bee the other day for a company in Blackburn called Stones and Roses, who look after gravestones. might be worth looking them up and giving them a call, they might be able to do something as a donation, if it gets them a mention in the paper after for sorting it out??

you can only try....

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Woody Riversider says...
2:38pm Fri 3 Jul 09

I have just returned from France & viewed immaculate grave's.

I'm shamed at how we treat our departed in this rotten stinking country.

Forced to ask for hand outs. Awful !!

I spit feathers at this. :(

Have a word & get down to this rotten stinking Council for somebody to sort it out.

Ashamed.

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Haz says...
2:53pm Fri 3 Jul 09

Easy Answer, Cattle Grid and Sheep. Although it would inconvinience people for a while, they will surley eat the grass and vegitation and make the churchyard look much better.

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Joseph Yossarian says...
3:01pm Fri 3 Jul 09

Strimmer.
Get the bishop to buy one. The church of england is rolling in lolly.
All this pleading poverty doesn't wash.

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kenbro says...
7:18pm Fri 3 Jul 09

For such a small church, this is a huge graveyard. We found one of our relatives graves in there last year. At that time, one man, Mr Eckersley, was valiantly trying to keep back the undergrowth. Some local historians may want to become interested in this cemetery. It may have been the main cemetery for people in the southeast part of Blackburn in the 1800's, and possibly before the town cemetery on Whalley New Road was opened. As for the wealthy Church of England getting involved, isn't this a Methodist church ? Also, it is not just overgrowing grass, there are acres of brambles. It will take more than a strimmer.

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A Darener says...
1:48pm Sat 4 Jul 09

My grandparents and other relatives are buried here, for many years my parents and I tried to keep their graves neat and tidy but we were facig a losing battle with the weeds. Perhaps some of the community service sentences handed out to minor criminals could include work in this and other overgrown cemeteries.

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mazx4 says...
5:06pm Sat 4 Jul 09

hay aDarener thats a great idea get the bloody criminals to get thoes hedge shears and cut the grass down it may make them think twice lol

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HIDDEN GRAVES: Jean Judges says it is ‘heartbreaking’ to see the sea of grass hiding graves of relatives HIDDEN GRAVES: Jean Judges says it is ‘heartbreaking’ to see the sea of grass hiding graves of relatives

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