The mother of a disabled West Belfast child says she was left feeling "gobsmacked" after learning the toilet facilities at Miltown Cemetery were closed.
Teresa Pollock took her seven-year-old Faith, to her grandmother's graveside on Thursday, on what would have been her 60th birthday. Faith was born with a missing chromosome, meaning she needs round the clock care, and uses a wheelchair.
On what was a difficult day for Teresa, who is grieving for her mum, she said it became worse when little Faith needed to use the bathroom. Teresa told Belfast Live that she was left "speechless" when she was told she could not use the facilities on site at the cemetery, as they were closed because of Covid -19.
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"It was very distressing and I was speechless when I walked away," the Beechmount woman said.
"I took my daughter to the cemetery to visit my mum on her birthday and when I was leaving, I stood for 20 minutes to [ask to] gain access to the toilet for myself and Faith. An elderly woman who was in front of us could see how distressed Faith was getting because she needed the bathroom urgently.
"She was getting herself into an awful state because we were waiting and waiting. You could see she was in a bad way.
"When I was finally seen to, to ask for the key to the toilet, I was told that because of Covid-19, they were closed as the facilities would need to be cleaned often. I was gobsmacked, I thought because of the state Faith was in, that we would be able to get her to the bathroom.
"I found it an utter disgrace. That I couldn't get my disabled child access to a toilet. When we walked home, Faith had an accident, adding to the stress - when we got home, I had to then wash her down in the wet room. It was an awful experience."
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Down and Connor told Belfast Live that the toilet facilities at Milltown Cemetery have been closed since the beginning of the pandemic.
"The difficulty is, having the staff to sanitise the facilities," the spokesperson continued.
"If one person goes in, the bathroom then has to be sanitised, and the staff is not there to be able to manage the sanitisation of the toilets after each use and that is the reason why they have remained closed.
He added: "The trustees of Milltown Cemetery deeply regret and apologise for the inconvenience that this causes to those who come to the cemetery."
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