Fears local cemetery is running out of room - but the council say this isn't the case
10.06.2024 - 16:39
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Concerns have been raised that a cemetery in Rochdale is close to becoming full. But the council has disputed this is the case.
Dame Sally Coleman, a community lawyer said she has been speaking with members of the Muslim community over the past few months about the issues that are affecting them. Her findings, she claims, were of a pressing concern over the decreasing number of burial spaces in Denehurst Cemetery.
She claims that the amount of space left for burials in the Muslim section of the cemetery will be taken up in months, as opposed to years.
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Dame Sally said: “The death of a loved one is devastating, regardless of the circumstances. It is important that people are able to fulfil their final obligations and be able to mourn the loss of loved ones in a manner that is appropriate to them.
“Having visited the lovely Denehurst Cemetery, it is obvious that if something urgent is not done to resolve the issue of burial space, the Muslim community will be caused unnecessary distress and will not have a place to bury their loved ones. Having supported a Muslim family in the borough who tragically lost a family member recently, I have seen how important having a burial space close to home is to help with the grieving process.
“The space allocated to the Muslim community was meant to last the community 25 years, but looking at the space left I suspect this space will fill up over the coming months and not years.”
She added that the Muslim community was disproportionately affected during the Covid pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the community would often take their loved ones for burials abroad, but the