Protesters make voice heard at Caernarfon cemetery

Feb 16 2012 By Dion Jones

PLACARD waving protestors picketed the gates of the town’s cemetery this week against plans to put a footpath through the site.

Gwynedd Council wants to  create a safe route to school through Llanbeblig cemetery in time for when the new Ysgol yr Hendre opens in March.

But the plans have sparked anger, and on Monday protestors gathered at the gates of the graveyard  brandishing placards such as “disgusting” and “save our cemetery” in a last ditch attempt to stop the work from happening.

One of the protestors, Cathy Hughes from Cefn Hendre, Caernarfon, branded the move “a disgrace”.

She said: “I live in a community which has been brought up to respect cemeteries as a place to remember their dead.

“We will have pupils coming home from school at 3pm and, kids being kids, playing hide and seek in the graveyard.

“What if one of the headstones fell and hurt a child?

“I’m also worried about what kind of effect this will have on burials and funeral services, surely families should be entitled to some sort of privacy when burying  their loved ones.”

Caernarfon man Gwyn Parry added: “I am glad that so many members of the community have come out to support this protest.

“I know a lot of people in the area are extremely worried about the situation.

“I think it is disgraceful that the council is now creating a path through the cemetery when children from other areas such as Gallt y Sil have had to work around it to get to the old Ysgol yr Hendre site for years.”

“We are all worried about what type of effect this could have on the graves of the people buried at the cemetery.”

Following the protest, a group of delegates met with Gwynedd Council officials to discuss the plans.

The summit came ahead of a public meeting which took place at  Feed My Lambs community centre in Caernarfon last night (Wednesday).

One of those who met the council on Monday, Seiont councillor Endaf Cooke, said  emotions ran high during the encounter.

He said: “The delegates put forward a number of ideas about the proposals but I think that no matter how many discussions we hold, their minds are set on the path going through the cemetery.

“I don’t think  there has been enough consultation with the entire town on this matter and the council cannot ignore the residents of Caernarfon.

“The council is emphasising children’s safety to push forward with this scheme, but where was this concern a year ago when the number of lollypop ladies was cut?”

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