Outrage as St Barnabas Church is Forced to Remove Grave Memorabilia

St Barnabas Church has issued a notice stating that all memorial items not compliant with the churchyard rules issued by the Diocese of Manchester will be removed from ashes plots and graves by Sunday, 7th September.

The churchyard regulations, set by the Diocese of Manchester, prohibit items such as kerbs, fencing, toys, artificial flowers, lighting, windmills, and any objects affixed to or hung upon monuments. The church says the rules are designed to “preserve the dignity, character, and sacred nature of the churchyard for all who visit.”

In a notice posted in the graveyard, churchwardens emphasised that the decision will be carried out with “care and compassion,” adding that any removed items will be safely stored so they can be collected by families. They also stressed that neither the Vicar nor the Parochial Church Council has authority to make exceptions to the regulations.

But the decision has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many grieving families saying they feel stripped of the few comforts they have left.

Lindsay Flory expressed her frustration:

“Not happy with this at all and I’m guessing many other families won’t be either. People have paid money for these graves and plots for their loved ones over 20 years. My dad’s plot has been there and not once has anything ever been an issue with the things we have put down, including artificial flowers. Don’t make any sense at all – it isn’t harming anyone, keeping the graves looking tidy and looked after.”

Danielle Almond, whose baby daughter is buried at St Barnabas, described the news as devastating:

“I’m absolutely sickened by this. My baby daughter is buried up there and we keep it tidy and tasteful. I have paid for the plot and when my daughter was already placed in it we had to go back and forth with the gravestone design as nobody would agree with the stone I wanted or the wording. That was distressing enough. And now this. I don’t blame anyone for placing artificial flowers either as when we put fresh flowers down, by the day after all the heads have been eaten by the deer. This is a sanctuary for me at times and somewhere my family and I go with personal items, and this is like taking the last shred of comfort we have.”

The churchwarden posted that they "have tried not to have to carry out these instructions but have met with a brick wall" and that they "can only apologise on behalf of the church but it’s out of our hands"

The church says it recognises how sensitive the issue is and has invited anyone with concerns to contact them directly or speak to a churchwarden.