Petition handed to Renfrewshire Council after headstones toppled

Friends of Hawkhead Cemetery (FOHC) launched a petition back in May to urge the council to seek out alternative methods to laying headstones flat on the ground.

Desmond Barr, chair of the group, today (June 27) handed over a folder to Renfrewshire Council with 1,549 signatures from families who say they want to see their loved ones' memory "treated with respect".

Members of the group gathered holding signs and and a large banner showing images of toppled graves before entering Renfrewshire House to give over the petition.

FOHC gather outside Renfrewshire House (Image: Newsquest) As we previously reported, local authority officials have been toppling headstones and laying them flat in cemeteries, including Hawkhead Cemetery in Paisley, to ensure their safety.

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One woman Patricia Barton said going to the cemetery to see her relatives' stones lying flat on the ground is "absolutely heartbreaking."

She said: "When I go up to put flowers on my dad's grave the first thing I see when I go in is all these toppled graves. There's a lot of our family in that cemetery. It's disrespectful."

Patricia contacted the council who told her that 2,500 headstones had been toppled across Renfrewshire.

She added: "When I asked why they were being toppled, the council said it’s not legislation it's guidance.

"There's no way there are 1,200 stones in that one cemetery that were that bad they needed to be toppled. It’s just so disrespectful the way that they have done it.

"Some of them have been knocked over at such a rate that they have been smashed or the stone has broken from the base."

Protesters inside Renfrewshire House handing over their petition (Image: Newsquest) Group members then entered the council building, Renfrewshire House, and handed over the folder containing signatures and reasons why members are disgruntled.

Another protester at Renfrewshire House was Mairi Murphy whose parents are both buried at Hawkhead Cemetery

She said: "My mum and dad's graves are not being maintained. There’s lots of flooding and it's very distressing when we go to the grave. It's ridiculous.

"They contacted my sister about it, but she had an accident at the grave a few years ago where she broke her foot.

"The stones are completely disrespected, and I think it's terrible they are taking money off of us to fix stones but they don’t care about the graves. The whole thing is nonsense.

"It happened to me twice, a few years ago I walked in, and my grandad's stone was flat down with no warning at all.

"At the time they managed to fix it. But this time there is a charge."

Desmond added: "The headstones are lying there and you can't see them through the grass – they are a trip hazard. That is wrong. They should be at least visible. You can't see half of them.

"We have no problem with memorial safety, we totally accept that it’s a necessary part of the cemetery. What we are asking the council to do instead of dropping the headstones is to either stake or sink them. That would give the relatives a chance to see the work that’s required and to engage with a stonemason and work out if there is any point in getting work done.

"We accept that a lot of graves no longer have relatives and that was why initially we were formed so we could crowdfund or lottery money to have the headstones reinstated and the council refused this as well.

"As far as the council is concerned it is [the families] responsibility to decide what happens."

A spokesperson for the local authority told the Glasgow Times: "We have a duty of care for safety within our cemeteries and our fully qualified staff have been assessing headstones and carefully lying flat unsafe headstones in line with Scottish Government guidance issued following the tragic death of a child in a Scottish cemetery.

“We understand how emotive it is for families when a headstone has to be laid flat and this is only ever done when it poses a significant risk to safety due to movement or insufficient fixings.

“Unfortunately, it isn’t always possible to reach lair owners before work is carried out and marker notices are placed on memorials and headstones with details for how lair holders can contact the council to ensure their memorial meets the required safety standards.

“There is also signage at each cemetery with the same information.”