A display for a stillborn baby girl buried in a Stockport cemetery has been ‘thrown in a skip’, her grieving parents say.
Ryan Stokes and Keelie Walker lost their daughter, Valencia, last June.
They believe that they lost their baby after Keelie caught Covid, and they buried her in Mill Lane Cemetery in Cheadle.
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The pair describe their plot as ‘our beautiful little place’ which they visit to ease the unbearable pain of losing Valencia.
Ryan and Keelie, along with their other children, had created a small display for their child having been told they were allowed the garden so long as it only extended one foot away from her plot.
Now, after other displays were cleared by Stockport Council last year, Ryan says his daughter’s spot has been hit — and staff have ‘thrown’ his possessions ‘in a skip’.
“It’s disgusting,” the heartbroken dad, 35, told the Manchester Evening News. “I was told I [could] go a foot out. She has only been there for six months.
“I am just over a foot out [from my plot] and they have taken the lot out and thrown it in a skip.”
The dad even went so far as to say he wants to see Valencia's grave exhumed.
He explained: "I want to have my baby moved. I want her dug up."
Mill Lane has been the site of angry clashes between bereaved families, police, and enforcement officers when clearances took place last December.
Ryan says he and Keelie, also 35, knew about the ongoing issues in the cemetery - but they believed their plot would not be affected for two reasons.
One was that they were within the ‘one-foot’ they could extend into, and the other is that Valencia is buried in the babies and cremations section.
However, with their shocking discovery this morning (March 1), the Cheadle Hulme couple say their pain has come to the fore again.
“That was our beautiful little place,” Ryan continued. “We take our children to see their little sister. Our lives have never been the same.
“My partner has had postnatal depression. It still feels as fresh as anything. It has put our anxiety through the roof.”
In response to the move, Stockport Council said the 'lawned' nature of the cemetery was made 'clear' in 'a welcome pack' issued to every grave owner.
A statement added: "The area where this burial has taken place is the baby memorial garden. It was developed in conjunction with Stockport SANDS. It was always intended to be kept as a lawned design and this was agreed with Stockport SANDS. Everyone is sent a welcome pack making this clear.
"We understand that this is an extremely sensitive issue and as such, we have worked hard with all the families affected and given them notice to remove their items. In this case, we wrote to the grave owner on December 3, 2021 and February 1, 2022 asking that the garden is removed.
"This grave is the only one in this area where a small garden has been set out and we have never given permission for this and there is also no agreement to leave tributes outside of the boundary. The work was carried out to ensure that the lawned appearance of the cemetery can be maintained in line with the wishes of the majority of grave owners."
Jen Coates, director of bereavement support services at SANDS, said: "Our hearts go out to Ryan Stokes and Keelie Walker. The loss of the memorial to their daughter Valencia is understandably very upsetting.
"Although Stockport Sands was consulted on the design of the memorial garden, the charity was not involved in the decision to remove the commemorative display.
"Sands is here for Ryan and Keelie, their families, and anyone who has been affected by the reporting of these events."
