The minutes of the CEMETERY COMMITTEE held on 16th July 2007 at The Parish Office
3 Gorringe Valley Road Willingdon BN20 9SX.
PRESENT - Councillor Linda Francis (Chairman)
Councillors Bonnie Beck, Trish Delaney, Sandra Fullman, John Martin, John Pritchett, Yvonne Puttee, Stephen Shing

Mrs Ruth Banks - Cemetery Superintendent
Mrs Carol Adams - Clerk
Mrs Lorraine Powell - Deputy Clerk
Mrs L Baxter - Retiring Clerk

CE07/1 Apologies and Substitutes
Cllr Colin Laycock, Cllr Daniel Shing
CE07/2 Declaration of Interests
None
CE07/3 Matters Arising
None
CE07/4 Cemetery Superintendent's Report
The Cemetery Superintendent Mrs Banks, gave her report and advised the committee that there had been 12 funerals since April 10 non-parishioners and 2 parishioners.
Burials
Total 12
Parishioners 2
Non-Parishioners 10
Consecrated 8
General 4
Cremated remains 1 Non-Parishioner
Re-open 3 Non-Parishioners
Pre-purchased 1 Parishioner
Garden of Remembrance
Non-Parishioners 2 Non-Parishioners
Re-open 1 Parishioner
Reserved 1 Parishioner
The income from 1st April 2007- 13th July 2007 £14,053.50
CE07/5 Cemetery Drainage
Advised drainage works would be too expensive, so the ground levels are to be raised by adding soil from the creation of Tott Yew footpath. Grave owners had been contacted and had agreed to the grave levels being raised up. Work to commence end of
August.

Cllr Delaney suggested that planting a Dwarf Willow might help solve the problem and wondered if this may be a viable solution. Mrs Baxter commented that there is very little space for anymore trees and planting, and the need to be mindful that any additional planting would mean loss of burial plots.
CE07/6 Consecration of further ground
The Clerk would actively start the process of consecration of further areas of the cemetery as agreed my members.
CE07/7 Cemetery Maintenance
Members discussed the on-going problem with badger damage, but very little can be done as badgers are protected species.
CE07/8 Grave Maintenance
No further work being carried out at present. Any grave/memorial slab cleaning will have to be taken up privately.
People are recommended to have graves turfed, in order to decrease the amount of maintenance required.
CE07/9 Garden of Remembrance
The paths surrounding the Garden of Remembrance were reported as still being very slippery with green algae - the Clerk will ensure that the maintenance contractors to clean these areas, prior to the winter months.
A concern had been raised by a resident about the condition of the wall and the memorial slabs in Garden of Remembrance. This is an on-going issue due to the under ground streams and the angle of the ground. Considerable expenditure has been encountered to try to rectify this problem. The cemetery contractor will continue to repair as and when necessary.
The site for a new Garden of Remembrance had been agreed, this will be from the front gate on the left hand side grassed area and continue, running along the side of the path, as this land is relatively flat. Cllr John Pritchett advised this would need to be planned once the existing Garden of Remembrance is filled.
CE07/10 Grave Digging
No problems have been reported
CE07/11 'Any other business - for noting or referral to next Agenda for Council or appropriate committee'
The Committee agreed to meet at the cemetery Monday 23rd July 7pm to look at the viability of additional tree/s and other matters raised under these minutes.

Meeting Closed at 8.05p.m.