WARRINGTON Cemetery is in a “shameful” state and disrespects the people buried in it, according to a senior councillor leading a working group to restore it.
Coun Mike Biggin will outline the findings of a year-long review of the cemetery to Warrington Borough Council’s Executive Board, when it meets on October 19.
He’ll ask for £85,000 each year to improve it – with the aim of providing a peaceful and well maintained public space which could be re-opened for burials.
The board will hear how there are currently 15,000 unsafe memorials in the cemetery with overgrown shrubbery, uneven or sinking kerbstones, untidy plots and headstones which have either been propped up or laid flat to prevent the risk of toppling.
The cemetery, on Manchester Road, was opened in 1857 and is the final resting place of more than 130,000 Warrington residents, including war heroes, celebrities and around 9000 in unmarked graves.
A working group was set up by the Environment and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee late last year to review its condition after public concern about its decline.
The group has spent the last year consulting with the public and piloting some initial renovation work.
In his introduction to the working group’s report, Coun Biggin gives his thoughts on the cemetery: “My own heartfelt view was that if this was a reflection of how our town respects its antecedents then it was shameful, especially because these were the very people who by their hard work, ingenuity and enterprise had built Warrington and its industrial and social heritage.
“The pilot scheme has demonstrated that these areas can be made restful and respectful places where bereaved families can visit their loved ones.”
But the report also praises the work of bereavement services officers, who have battled to maintain conditions despite limited resources – and highlights some well-maintained and tranquil areas, such as the recently added “Baby Garden” and the renovation of the church.
The working group also hopes to establish a “Friends of Warrington Cemetery Group” which the public would be invited to join and to create a memorial to commemorate all unmarked deaths.
2 Comments
It’s about time somebody brought the condition of the Warrington Cemetery in the news. I sent a note to the listing on the Council Web page a couple of years ago. Nobody gave me the courtesy of an answer. It is a disgrace, you see so called workmen sitting about drinking on their daylong breaks and doing nothing. I wish I lived closer to support this Councilman.
I live in Canada now but I was born in warrington. I visited my parents grave recently and found the cemetery to be an absolute disgrace. We take care of our grave but the grass around the grave is overgrown and full of weeds. How disrespectful to my parents. Cemeteries in Canada are treated with the greatest respect and are a pleasure to walk around, grass is taken care of and weeds do not exist. Smarten up Warrington – do something about it.