Family's request for memorial bench is turned down in village near Grantham

A daughter has been left upset after her request for a memorial bench in memory of her mum was turned down.

Precilla Renshaw, of Monmouth Way, Grantham, applied to Ropsley Parish Council for a bench to be installed in the village cemetery after her mum, Gail, passed away with terminal cancer last year.

Gail was 42 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After undergoing a hysterectomy and chemotherapy, the mum-of-two was also diagnosed with ataxia cerebellum, a neurological condition that attacks the brain.

Soon afterwards the family were dealt a further blow when Gail’s cancer returned and they were told that it was terminal. After enduring several more years of chemotherapy, Gail passed away last July, aged 50.

After burying her mum in the same grave as her nan in Ropsley cemetery, the family asked for a bench to be installed in her memory, but were refused.

The family were also upset when a planter that had marked the foot of their nanna’s grave for the past 13 years had been moved and placed in a section of the grave that had been dug out.

Precilla, 25, said: “My dad has been left very upset. He doesn’t want anyone to touch the graves now.”

The parish council has said they are working closely with the family but could not allow a bench in the cemetery.

A spokesperson for Ropsley and District Parish Council said: “We were first contacted by Ms Renshaw in September 2020 with a complaint that a vase on her grandmother’s grave had been moved. The council explained that it had moved the vase from the foot to the head of the grave, in line with burial ground rules, for ease of maintaining the grass. The council apologised if its actions had inadvertently caused distress and met with Ms Renshaw to discuss their concerns in December.

“At this meeting, Ms Renshaw requested a memorial bench to be placed in the cemetery. The council declined it on the grounds that there are already a number of benches in a small burial ground where space is at a premium. As one of these benches was placed by Ms Renshaw’s family, the council suggested that she may wish to consider adding a plaque to this bench.

“The council has expressed its sympathy, has acknowledged the family’s grief and strength of feeling, and has corresponded with Ms Renshaw in a compassionate and courteous manner. The council has a duty to manage the burial ground in the interests of all its users and regrets that on occasion this may mean that we are not able to grant every request of individual families.”