Shrewsbury baby grave tributes petition reaches 1,600 names
A petition calling for grieving parents to be allowed to lay tributes on their babies' graves in a Shrewsbury cemetery has reached 1,600 signatures.
Stillbirth and neonatal death charity Shropshire Sands created a garden of remembrance dedicated to babies at the site, but recently cleared tributes from the graves following complaints.
Parents are now calling for Shropshire Council to allow them to put tributes and ornaments on the graves as part of the mourning process.
The graves have been maintained by the local Sands committee. But the charity recently cleared the trinkets and toys from the graves after it received complaints from the cemetery and parents who said that areas around the graves could not be mown or maintained correctly because of such large glass ornaments.
In a statement, Sands said it felt it had "no choice" following concerns about health and safety from cemetery staff and apologised for "not communicating with parents adequately".
Clare Maceachen, who set up the petition and hopes to reach 10,000 signatures, lost her eldest son who was stillborn in 2010.
She said: "For me, it is very important to have a little tribute at the actual grave.
"I cannot hold my first-born baby or spend all my time at his grave, but I can transfer some of those feelings onto a little tribute. Being unable to leave anything to watch over my baby when I'm not there is simply heartbreaking."
Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council Cabinet member responsible for bereavement services, said: "Following the decision by Shropshire Sands to remove tributes from the graves Shropshire Council – in liaison with Sands – is to consider a new policy for what items can be left in future.
"In the meantime, floral tributes can continue to be left on the graves, and the items removed by Sands can still be seen at the cemetery."
