Council issues annual request to grave plot owners and visitors

To allow maintenance and grass cutting at the cemeteries and crematorium grounds it manages, Cheshire West and Chester Council is reminding residents of its annual request to grave plot owners and visitors to take away any remaining Christmas and other festive season tributes.

Councillor Stuart Bingham, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Neighbourhood Pride said:

“This is a gentle reminder to please collect any remaining festive tributes by the end of Sunday, 15th February. We understand that this is a sensitive and personal matter for many families. Our staff carry out this work with the utmost care and respect to ensure that these spaces remain dignified, peaceful places of remembrance for everyone.

“We are committed to the best upkeep of our cemeteries and crematoria, and keen to ensure that we maintain these to a high standard as we move into spring as the main grass-cutting season starts. We are grateful for your help with this.”

Anyone who wishes to dispose of or retain their festive season tributes is requested to take them from the cemetery grounds and burial plots.

Cemetery staff will then begin to remove any remaining festive season tributes from Monday, 16th February, allowing grass cutting to take place from early March.

Grave plot owners and visitors are asked to note that to allow essential maintenance of the grounds, wreaths and tributes will be taken away from the grounds of:

• Blacon Cemetery / Chester crematorium

• Overleigh Cemetery, Chester

• Overpool Cemetery, Ellesmere Port

• Neston Cemetery

• Wharton Cemetery, Winsford

At Chester Crematorium, festive season tributes and any other memorial items not issued by the Council which have been placed in the Garden of Remembrance areas and also adjacent to the Book of Remembrance Room, will start to be taken away by cemeteries staff from Monday, 16th February. This is to ensure that these areas can be enjoyed as peaceful areas of contemplation by everyone.

The Council does not remove wreaths from private churchyards.