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Cemetery lock-out forces the end of vigil

4:26am Friday 25th April 2008

A Bradford couple have been forced to end an evening candlelit vigil at their son's grave because vandals and drug users mean the cemetery is closed at night.

Maxine Firth and her husband, Graham, of Pullan Avenue, Eccleshill, have visited Neil's grave at Undercliffe Cemetery every evening since he was buried in 2000, aged 18.

But that routine was ended when trustees of the Undercliffe Cemetery Charity, which maintains the site, decided closing the cemetery at night was the only way to counter vandalism. Needles were also left by drug users, creating a serious health hazard.

Mrs Firth said: "One of the reasons we chose Undercliffe was because the gates were always open.

"We go in the evening to light candles. What might be strange and bizarre to others is a way of life for us.

"Visiting Neil has always been the first thing we do in the morning and the last thing we do at night."

She is disappointed by a lack of flexibility from the trustees, although charity chairman Stuart Sanderson has agreed to listen to any concerns over the new opening hours.

Mrs Firth said: "The trustees seem to be very blinkered - this completely precludes anyone who works normal hours. I'm not happy at all with the response we have received. The trustees have said they might look into altering the times and reviewing it but what do I do in the interim? They've given no timescale."

The trustees had been considering closing the gates since June to ensure the safety of volunteers and to protect the site, which dates back to 1854 and contains six listed buildings.

Mr and Mrs Firth are members of the charity and are upset that they were not consulted. Mrs Firth said: "When we saw the gates locked on Monday it was a very sad sight.

"There is some vandalism but this isn't going to stop it. I think they have lost sight of what the cemetery is for. It's our cemetery."

Mr Sanderson said: "I have offered to meet the couple and talk to them but at the moment the gates have to remain closed. The Council's ranger service are taking care of it for us and we need to consider their availability."

The trust will hold its annual general meeting in May but Mr Sanderson has said the matter will not be discussed there.

He said: "The AGM agenda is very particular. I would rather talk to people privately than discuss a personal problem in a public meeting."

Jane Glaister, Bradford Council's strategic director of culture, tourism and sport, said: "We will continue to offer support and advice to the trust to allow them to identify a local solution to resolve the access issues that have been raised."

Meanwhile, members of the Heaton Graveyard Community Project have also begun closing its gates after a spate of stone thefts.

The site in Highgate, Heaton, was locked overnight for the first time on Friday.

Project co-ordinator Margaret Gray said: "We don't want to close it because we don't want to upset people and we're very disappointed and aggrieved about it."

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