Bereavement is a time when relatives and friends require support and assistance. The desire that a loved one should be laid to rest in pleasant surroundings in a well-tended plot is one that the Board recognises, and the following is intended to give guidance and to answer those questions that most often arise at these difficult times.
Arranging a burial
If you wish to arrange a burial please contact a Funeral Director. When arranging the funeral, the funeral director will ask if you would like to purchase a grave space. We explain what this means later.
In addition to the fee payable to purchase a grave, you will be charged for the actual burial. Your chosen funeral director will advise you of any fees payable in relation to the burial.
Purchasing a grave space
If you decide to purchase a grave, this gives you the exclusive rights of burial in this space for a period of 99 years, meaning only the person/people specified by you can be buried in the plot for this period. These rights can be renewed at the end of the 99-year period. You are not purchasing the land only the rights.
Purchasing the grave will also allow you to place a memorial at the grave (details below).
The plots can be purchased before or after bereavement and arrangements can be made for a second person that you choose to be buried in the grave and for up to eight cremated remains caskets to be interred there.
If you do not wish to purchase a grave space you will not be able to place a headstone or other memorial on the grave. You should also note that this plot may also be used to bury another, unrelated person, at a later date.
If you decide later that you wish to purchase the grave, please contact us on 01366 383300.
Memorials
If you have chosen not to purchase a grave, you will not be able to install a permanent memorial. A temporary marker, such as a small wooden cross or a small flower container is permitted at the head of the un-purchased grave.
If you have purchased the grave you may wish to leave the grave unmarked or you may choose to install a permanent memorial. The type of memorial you can have will depend upon the location of the grave. Rouses Lane cemetery includes lawn sections where only headstones are permitted and cremated remains sections where upright or cremation tablets – flat stones, laid level with the ground – are permitted.
All memorials must be pre-approved by us and all work must be carried out by an approved monumental stonemason with appropriate public liability insurance. Your chosen stonemason will advise you of any fees payable in relation to the installation of the memorial and will also liaise directly with us to get the appropriate permits to carry out the work.
The table below sets out the types of memorials allowed in different sections of our cemetery.
To enable access to neighbouring graves and to ensure that routine maintenance can be carried out, we ask that the guidance is followed and that items do not exceed the space permitted and do not cross onto other graves or the pathways. We also ask that you do not plant shrubs or trees, or erect other structures or place any items including fencing, kerbings, wire fencing, windmills, raised or sunken footstones, solar lights, wind chimes, plots, balloons, any item made of pottery / tin / plastic / glass / bricks. If items are found to prevent maintenance of the cemetery the grave owner will be contacted and asked to remove them. If the items continue to impede access, unfortunately they will be removed by the Board.
We allow an area larger than the actual grave size to ensure that there is adequate space for the maintenance of the cemetery. An adult’s grave is nine feet (2745mm) x four feet (1220mm). A child’s grave is four feet six inches (1372mm) by three feet (915mm). A cremated remains plot is two feet (610mm) x two feet (610mm).
If you are unsure as to what is allowed on the graves, please contact us on 01366-383300.
Please note: Funeral Floral tributes will be removed from all graves two weeks after the funeral, or earlier if they become unsightly.
Looking after a grave and memorial
The Board maintains the grass, pathways and grounds of the cemetery. If the grave space has been purchased, you will be responsible for tending to the headstone.
In the interest of safety the Board checks memorials regularly. Where a memorial is considered unsafe the Board will make the memorial safe by laying it down and contact the owner of the grave to advise them what action they need to take.
The Board recommends that you take out an insurance policy to cover damage to stone memorials caused by vandalism.
Visiting the cemetery
All the cemeteries can be freely accessed by pedestrians and motorised scooters at all times.
We aim to make our cemeteries safe, tranquil places where people can remember their loved ones. Signs at the entrance of each cemetery outline to visitors our cemetery rules, which include:
· Keeping dogs on a short lead and clearing up after them if they foul in the cemetery.
· Ensuring all litter is disposed of in the bins provided.
· Being considerate and respectful when visiting the cemetery.
Please observe these rules when visiting our cemeteries.
