Chesterfield mum upset over churchyard's ‘disgusting’ state

Natalie Musson, 33, of Chesterfield, visited the grave of her great grandparents at Newbold Parish churchyard, last Saturday.

But she found the trees and bushes so overgrown some graves were no longer visible, bins overflowing and gravestones broken.

She said: “It's absolutely disgusting. We've had to take our own gardening tools to be able to clean the grave up. A graveyard is somewhere where you should be able to go and spend time with loved ones in a peaceful, quiet, tranquil area.

“It was upsetting to see how things have changed over the years. When my great grandma passed away in 2006, my great grandad always kept her grave immaculate, ensuring nothing was overgrown and putting fresh flowers on.”

Ms Musson visited the churchyard with her partner, mother and two children aged four and 10.

She said: “Unfortunately, my children never met my great grandparents. But we've always brought their memory into our kids’ life, because they are very important for our family. That’s why we wanted to show them where they are buried and put fresh flowers on. But when we arrived, the children could not even see the grave under the bushes. ”

She added unstable pavements, tree trunks and overgrown bramble bushes make it impossible for disabled people to visit the graves.

“My grandma had a quadruple amputation. She's not been able to go and visit my great grandparents grave due to being on prosthetic legs. It's unsafe for her so she can't even go to see her own parents’ grave because of the state of the graveyard,” she said.

Ms Musson’s mother contacted St. John’s Church to complain.

A spokesman for the Parish Church said: “We are very aware of the distress the current state of the churchyard is causing visitors and relatives, and we share the concerns of those who have raised the issue with us. Chesterfield Borough Council has the responsibility for the maintenance of the churchyard and we are actively working with them and have made them aware of the complaints.

“As we now emerge from the pandemic and many of our church activities are returning, we are really pleased to be re-starting our monthly Churchyard Tidy Up group starting on Saturday, July 9 10-12pm, and anybody who is able to help is welcome to join us.”

Chesterfield Borough Council added: “Our teams will be out in the area this week as part of our routine programme of grounds maintenance to carry out a range of tasks which should address some of the issues that residents have raised. This includes trimming the grass around graves and keeping paths clear of weeds and debris.”