Easter egg hunt in Wrexham cemetery pulled after backlash
- Published
The organisers said the event was a great way of getting young people "interested in local genealogy"
Organisers of a children's Easter egg hunt in a graveyard have scrapped the plans after an online backlash.
Friends of Wrexham Cemetery (FWC) said it had made an "emergency decision" to cancel the event "to safeguard the young people" due to take part.
One person posted online that she was "disgusted" because her baby daughter was buried at the cemetery.
FWC earlier said the aim was to "actively encourage" people to visit.
Following initial complaints, FWC said the event was a great way of getting young people "interested in local genealogy".
It called on those protesting to remember that other former cemeteries in the area were now being used as playgrounds.
FWC said the section that would have been used was "occupied by the dead from a century ago" and it would not have affected any recent interments.
However, the criticism continued, with one person saying she had family members buried there and "certainly would not want kids running over my graves".
Another said a graveyard was "not an outdoor museum" but "sacred" ground where people go to visit their loved ones.
"What's next, a Santa's grotto?" they asked.
One person said she was "disgusted" because her baby daughter is laid to rest at the cemetery
FWC describes itself as a group aiming to "promote the preservation, care and improvement" of Wrexham Cemetery "as a place of historical value and interest".
It is the main cemetery serving Wrexham and almost 40,000 burials have taken place there since it opened in 1876.
The cemetery's designer, Yeo Strachan, wanted it to function like a park, with the idea being that visitors could stroll around and admire its grand monuments, built by wealthy industrialists.
- Published4 May 2019
- Published9 July 2018
