The parish council wishes to advise that we have just carried out the annual safety inspection in the Cemetery in accordance with the Local Authorities Cemeteries Order 1977.
Unfortunately, the inspection revealed that a number of the memorials have become unstable as a result of the cement securing the base to the foundation failing, probably as a result of the unusually wet conditions that we have been experiencing over the past few months.
Where memorials were not secured to the foundations and in accordance with the regulations, they have temporarily been laid down. The monumental masons will be visiting the cemetery later this week to advise the parish council on the works required to reinstate the memorials.
We understand that this may cause distress and would like to apologies for this. The decision to lay down the memorial stones was not taken lightly and as a parish council we are endeavouring to work with the monumental masons to deal with the situation as sensitively and as quickly possible.
UPDATE:
As you will be aware, following the safety review of the Cemetery on Tuesday 14th May, carried out in accordance with Schedule 3 of the Local Authorities Cemeteries Order 1977, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and guidance on Cemetery Management published by the Ministry of Justice, the decision was taken to lay down a number of memorials, where the bonding to the base had failed, in the cemetery for safety reasons.
Following that urgent action, the Parish Council received advice yesterday from the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management that, having now acquired the necessary materials, it was acceptable to reinstate and stake and bind those memorials that could be made stable.
The ICCM is appointed by WALC to run the training courses for cemetery management attended by Parish Council officers.
Accordingly, yesterday the Parish Council reinstated, on their foundations, all but three of the memorials. The remaining three memorial stones could not be made stable.
The stones were inspected first, checked for their structural integrity before being reinstated on their foundations. The end of the stakes were placed into the ground and were then bound to the memorials using 6mm rope. The stakes were then marked with hazard warning tape.
Each memorial, reinstated, was then checked for stability.
20 May 2024
Location
The cemetery is just outside the village on the B4451, heading towards Deppers Bridge. There is a layby at the entrance, but no other car parking available. Despite being close to the road, the cemetery is very peaceful and surrounded by countryside.
The cemetery has been serving the village of Bishops Itchington for just over 100 years and in its centenary year of 2005, a plaque was installed on the wall of the chapel to commemorate this.
Enquiries
Valerie Powell manages the cemetery on behalf of the parish council. Any enquires regarding interments or the erection of memorials should be directed to Valerie on 0779 241 8642 or email: cemeterymanager@bishopsitchington-pc.gov.uk.
Cemetery Rules
A copy of the rules can be obtained from the parish clerk on 01926 613902. Alternatively, they can be downloaded from this website.
Volunteers
We are very lucky to have a small but dedicated group of volunteers who carry out a range of different maintenance tasks not covered by our regular grounds maintenance contractor. This has included clearing weeds and brambles from graves which no longer have any family members to care for them, trmming of overhanging branches and the installation of new guttering on the tool shed along with a new water butt. We really appreciate their hard work which does much to enhance the appearance of the cemetery. If you would like to be involved, please contact the parish council office on 01926 613902.
Cemetery Rules
A copy of the cemetery rules can be downloaded from this page or a hard copy can be obtained from the parish council office. In addition to the cemetery rules, there is a separate policy regarding applications for burial in Bishop's Itchington Cemetery by non-residents of the parish.
Cemetery Fees
The current fees for burials and the erection of memorials were implemented from 1 April 2020 and can be downloaded from this page. Please note that fees may be doubled for non-residents of the parish in certain circumstances. Please contact the cemetery manager for more information.
Cemetery fees are set by the parish council and are very reasonable when compared to the fees charged by larger, municipal cemeteries. The fees go towards the cost of maintaining the cemetery which is a much valued local amenity. Maintenance of the cemetery costs several thousand pounds each year and includes regular grass mowing, tree and hedge trimming, maintenance of the buildings and refuse collection.