We need to stop our loved ones resting places from essentially being turned into a field.

Our loved ones who are buried at Iwade are at risk of having their graves turfed over with only an allowance of one vase for flowers. 

A year ago, my great grandparents, along with many others before and since, passed away, and are now buried at Iwade Cemetery in Sittingbourne. We lay flowers every week, and the graves reflect how much they are missed, with lots of memorial items and personal items. All the graves are kept tidy and respectful, and none go over the perimeter of their plots.

We, the family members of passed loved ones, have now been informed that everything on the graves will be removed and turfed over, and become a lawned cemetery. Upon purchasing the plots, we were never told that this would happen, and despite what Swale Borough Council are stating, neither were any of the funeral directors. We have looked through all of the paperwork and this was never mentioned. 

SBC are planning on turfing over the graves with intentions of cutting the grass every 6-8 weeks. Aside from the fact that this will not always be possible due to our wet weather, in turn, becoming overgrown and untidy, we find this highly disrespectful - we don’t want our loved ones’ resting places ran over with a lawn mower. 

Our local MP has been contacted and has stated that he cannot do anything as SBC have denied that no one was told. You can find the letters below for reference. 

We are in the process of next steps with the press but the future state of the cemetery remains uncertain due to the lack of acknowledgment from the council, and we are running out of time.

Not only have SBC lied about what the funeral directors were supposedly told, they’ve let us down and are making what is already a difficult time even harder. 

We just want to be able to visit our loved ones, and keep their grave as fitting for them as possible. This is the only thing we have left of them, and we want to uphold their wishes of a pretty resting place with lots of flowers.

As you can all imagine, the families of the loved ones at Iwade are absolutely devastated at the thought of this all going ahead, so we’re asking for your help by signing this petition, getting our voices heard, and spreading awareness for anyone who is thinking of having someone buried at Iwade.