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A woman has said she finds it ‘despicable’ that her parents’ memorial plaque has been left overgrown and in a ‘shocking’ state. Penny Jenkins and her husband Leighton travelled from Newcastle to visit her parents’ grave at Cambridge Crematorium on September 30.
The visit was to mark what would have been Penny’s mother’s birthday. The plaque is in a rose garden at the crematorium.
When they saw the plaque, which is also dedicated to her father who died in 1988, she was “shocked” at the state of it. Penny said: “It has got progressively worse in the last two years, but this was the worst I have seen it.
“There were four-foot thistles covering it and weeds growing over the plot. It was so upsetting to see. It was like a garden tip.”
Penny has been paying a fee for the plaque since 1988. She added: “My mum only died two years ago so when I went for her birthday, I wasn’t expecting to see what I saw.
(Image: Leighton Jenkins)
“This is obviously the main crematorium in Cambridge, so this is despicable. The crematorium here [in Newcastle] is immaculate. Newcastle isn’t so affluent compared to Cambridge, so I find this so disrespectful.”
Leighton said when he saw the plaque, he was “angry”, while his wife was “very upset”. Leighton added: “The roses are the worst in the graveyard.
“For me, if there is a problem with the soil, it needs to be tested on why it isn’t supporting the roses.” Penny added that she contacted Cambridge City Council, which oversees the crematorium, but has not received a reply.
She said: “I think people need to know that this is their main crematorium and think about whether they want to have their families here. The community needs to know the situation. It is already a stressful time when you lose a loved one.”
A Cambridge City Council spokesperson said the authority wished to apologise to those concerned. They added: “We understand the importance of taking great pride in the care and presentation of our cemeteries and memorial gardens, and we understand how important these spaces are to families and visitors who come to remember loved ones.
“Over the years, we have made every effort to cultivate and maintain thriving roses within the memorial rose beds. Regrettably, despite our best endeavours, many of these areas have struggled to flourish due to changing soil and climatic conditions. As a result, some beds have become more challenging to maintain to the standard we would wish.
“We remain committed to honouring existing memorial dedications and ensuring that the cemetery continues to be a peaceful and well-cared-for space for remembrance.”
