Overgrown graveyard 'makes it hard to visit'

Hayley has to make a path through the overgrown weeds every time she want to visit her father's grave

A woman who struggles to visit her father's grave due to overgrown weeds and grasses is calling for action to be taken to tidy up the graveyard.

Hayley Baker's father Brian died in 2016 and was laid to rest in an older section of the Le Foulon Cemetery, alongside other members of his family.

Mrs Baker said: "It's upsetting when you see it so messy around your loved ones".

The States Property Unit said lesser visited areas of the cemetery were not mown as frequently to support biodiversity, but newer sections were maintained to ensure "access remains possible".

Mrs Baker was told that area of the cemetery has been kept for the wildlife to thrive but feels that when it is around graves that are still visited regularly, they should be kept in a nice condition.

She understands that her father's resting place is a lesser used area of the cemetery, but feels that any grave where that has visitors should be accessible.

Graves in the newer part of the cemetery are mowed on a regular basis

Hayley is able to navigate her way to her father's grave and clean up the weeds growing over the the grave but knows that other may not find it as easy to walk over the uneven ground to get to graves.

"Its about respecting the dead," she said.

The States Property Unit said: “For the older areas of the cemetery which are less frequently visited by islanders, we adopt the approach of encouraging and supporting biodiversity by not mowing these areas.

"The only exception to this is for registered war graves where we will strim a pathway to the grave.

The newer sections of the cemetery are maintained by States Works to ensure that access remains possible for those visiting the site.”