Today is 132 years since the Matchgirls agreed terms with the Bryant and May Directors to seal their victory, so a good opportunity to update you one where we are with saving Sarah Chapman’s grave.

The coronavirus outbreak and lockdown has delayed the mounding process at Manor Park Cemetery, which was due to start in early May. The Cemetery has finally agreed for us to arrange a digital survey of the location where Sarah is buried, so we now have an accurate measurement, should we need it. The Cemetery has also agreed to post something about Sarah on its ‘history’ page. We have suggested some wording but they haven’t posted it to date. We are still unable to meet. even virtually, with a Director.

As you are aware, we wrote to the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland in early April, asking him to investigate the brutal mounding process. After being told in June that neither our original letter, nor our email had reached the MoJ, we re-sent it and received an acknowledgement. 

Earlier this month, thanks to a letter from Ellie Reeves MP, Alex Chalk, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, and the Minister responsible for burial law, has now asked his officials to urgently consider the issues raised. He also understands that the planned works at Manor Park Cemetery, including the area where Sarah Chapman’s grave is situated, will not start before the Autumn 2020.

Finally, a particularly lovely thing that happened was to be invited by the residents near Manor Park Cemetery to take part in a Celebration of Sarah Chapman's Life. About 50 people came and laid flowers on her grave. We also ran a concurrent online campaign #aflowerforsarah. See the link for the photographs.