• Be social

FALMOUTH TOWN COUNCIL CEMETERY - TRIBUTES ON GRAVES

Falmouth Town Council is responsible for the maintenance of Falmouth Cemetery including the upkeep of all grassed areas, walls, paths & buildings. It is the responsibility of the next of kin to ensure that memorials are kept in good order and that mowers and machinery are not obstructed by incorrectly positioned flower containers and other tributes. With this in mind, the Council has regulations to keep the burial grounds in a clean and well-ordered condition – the best mark of respect.

It has been noted that an increasing number of unauthorised tributes are being placed on graves which is making it difficult to cut and maintain the lawn areas. Please could all visitors to the cemetery be reminded that all tributes should be placed on the plinth of the headstone/memorial only. If there is no headstone the tributes should be restricted to an area at the head of the grave in line with other memorials. In respect of the baby grave section, authorised tributes are permitted on the entire area of the grave but must not extend beyond the edge of the individual grave area.

In the Garden of Remembrance where the cremated remains plots are located no floral holder or other type of attachment may be placed outside the prescribed area of 2 foot by 2 foot.

In the interests of health and safety no breakable items are permitted in the cemetery. No fences, kerbing or edging are permitted on any grave. Small fences/edging will be permitted around the edge of graves in the baby grave section only but must not extend beyond the individual grave area. The Town Council reserve the right to remove any items which in their opinion present a health and safety risk.

To help avoid and alleviate any distress, the Town Council would like to work together with the families concerned over the next 12 months to bring all tributes back within the cemetery guidelines. The Council ask that all unauthorised memorials and tributes are removed by November 2020, this includes plants and trees After this date a small label will be attached to any remaining items requesting that they are removed within 1 month. If after this period the item has still not been removed, the item(s) will be removed, stored and kept securely for no longer than 1 month to allow for the owner to collect it. After this time, the items will be disposed of. Whenever possible, the family concerned will be contacted directly and asked to remove the items.

Anyone wishing to discuss this further is invited to contact the town council office on 01326 315559 or email admin@falmouthtowncouncil.com Full copies of the Cemetery Regulations are available on the Town Council website (www.falmouthtowncouncil.co.uk) and on request from the Town Council Office.