Graveyard tidy-up sparks anger over removed items

A "tidy up" of a graveyard has been met with anger from a woman who said memorials she left for her parents were removed.

Julie Hobbs, whose parents are both buried in a graveyard cared for by St James' church in Shere, said she made her usual fortnightly visit to find a vase bearing their inscription, which had been there for four years, had gone.

After she posted concerns on social media, other residents voiced support, criticising the church's actions as disrespectful.

The Reverend Tim Heaney said the work was part of regular maintenance and that the church had a responsibility to keep the graveyard "beautiful and dignified".

Hobbs, who grew up in Shere but now lives in Guildford, said families placing items on graves "weren't doing any harm", and some relied on artificial flowers if they could not visit regularly.

She said she searched through bin bags containing items cleared from graves but could not find the vase.

"I was really hurt, really upset," she said. "I would just like to say leave things alone."

She said her parents had been well known locally, and her mother had helped with village events, while her father was a Normandy veteran.

Every June, she marked their birthdays and anniversaries at the grave, she added.

The vicar said the church maintained two graveyard sites, one at the church and one near the river.

He said annual clean-ups were carried out to tidy grass and hedges, while unauthorised memorials contravening regulations were removed every few years.

Personal items were kept safe so families could reclaim them, he said, and notices about the work were placed at the graveyard and in the parish magazine in advance.

He said some items, such as plastic flowers, were only permitted for a limited time as they could become "tatty and decayed".

Heaney apologised to anyone upset, adding that he understood how distressing it could be.

"I am genuinely sorry for any upset that we may have caused," he said. "We're not perfect, we are human, we've really, really tried to do our best."

He asked anyone who discovered an item had gone to contact him or a church warden so it could be found and returned.

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