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Cemeteries across Bolton have been given a thorough spring clean. The council has announced that its staff had finished working on all seven cemeteries around the borough. This included grass cutting, trimming overgrown shrubs and brambles, and re-establishing and tidying up paths.
Council cabinet member for climate change and environment, Cllr Richard Silvester, said: “Bolton’s historic cemeteries date as far back as the 1850s and are important places for the community, where people come to remember their loved ones. “So, we take our role as their guardians seriously and are committed to keeping them suitably neat and tidy. “This hasn’t always been easy at a time of rising demands on council budgets, which is why I’m extremely pleased with the work this new team has carried out and I look forward to seeing the benefits of our regular maintenance programme.
” Works were carried out on cemeteries in Astley Bridge, Blackrod, Farnworth, Heaton, Horwich, Tonge Moor and Westhoughton. Heaton Cemetery (Image: Bolton Council) This came after repeated concerns were raised about the state of overgrown grass at various cemeteries around the borough over recent months and years. Council officials say that cutting the grass in cemeteries can be a big job because workers have had to strim in-between tens of thousands of headstones.
Bolton Council's green spaces team (Image: Bolton Council) They then had to clean the grass off graves using blowers. The work has been made possible by additional funding announced as part of this year’s council budget settlement. Astley Bridge cemetery (Image: Bolton Council) The new funding paid for a new ten-person green space operational team equipped with two pickup trucks, two large ride-on mowers , ten strimmers and six blowers.
ALSO READ: Overgrown grass in Bolton’s cemeteries ‘an insult to the dead and their loved ones’ ALSO READ: More upset over state of Bolton cemeteries as they become overgrown ALSO READ: Woman's upset after grass at cemetery not cut Council officials say that since the works were done, members of the public have spoken to their staff and emailed them to express their appreciation for the improvements. But further works have been planned for the months ahead. After the initial tidying up of the cemeteries, the council says it has now begun a programme of scheduled maintenance and grass cutting from April.
They will also be busy throughout autumn and winter, keeping the spaces at their best through improvements such as removing overgrown ivy, maintaining paths and cutting back brambles..
