Culture

Parish Council in Kent 'bans' picnickers from Village Churchyard

by Beaulieu | January 2, 2012 at 01:42 am

230 views | 7 Recommendations | 4 comments

HILDENBOROUGH. Tonbridge

In a January 2012 edition of the Hildenborough Parish Council 'Keys' magazine released to about 2000 residents, it appears that the St John's Churchyard Committee has requested that the churchyard is to mowed just once a year to 'discourage' local picnickers. Members of the Hildenborough Parish Council, who were discussing the coverage of this year's gardening maintenance contract, have put on their stamp of approval.

The Committee deemed that it was becoming 'an attractive and popular spot for picnickers and not felt to be an appropriate activity' for the area.

The churchyard is pretty and quiet with attractive trees, particularly in the spring. Other tiny parks in the area can be very noisy. The churchyard is very tidy, with few picnickers ever leaving rubbish.

The churchyard has become a quiet place for locals to reflect and enjoy the beauty, read books or remember their loved ones.

Is it a matter of time before they ban local dog walkers too?

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liamssoft

at 05:46 on January 2nd, 2012

Beaulieu there is an interesting video concerning a different parish council, Hughenden Parish Council, the video footage shows a meeting where a public vote of no confidence is proposed view here although dated 2010 it shows how the public are dissuaded from speaking up against local decision makers at Parish Council public meetings. You will have to turn the volume up to hear it.

liamssoft

at 06:01 on January 2nd, 2012

Another video Uploaded by urbancyclist1 on Jan 8, 2011 to youtube

The January article in the Parish Magazine entitled 'Islamisation' caused outrage in parts of Hildenborough, Tonbridge. Parishioners complained about the offensive islamaphobic comments to the Keys Editor, others took up the matter even higher.The writer says that 'I am convinced that by far the majority do not welcome these undoubted pressures to bring our country into submission from Islam'. She also writes people should 'take a stand against allowing Turkey to enter the EU with the inevitable consequence of the increase in our Muslim population". etc etc,. and all this extreme nonsense. Just how did this offensive article come to be printed in the church/parish mag?

Beaulieu

at 04:43 on January 2nd, 2012

Thanks Liam, will have a look at that the first video. The other video and comments just refer to another topic and aren't relevant to the above story. I will upload a photo referring to the January edition of Keys. I will see if I can get a photo of the churchyard. I have no sound on my computer here. I didn't even know they the Parish Council were going to do this.

Frances Long (not verified)

at 08:38 on January 2nd, 2012

Thanks Eva 4 drawing my attention to this site/story. My parents do not have a grave, but have a memorial bench in the park in Reigate, where they lived. My sisters and I like to go there with a picnic, and sit and talk and remember them. So,to me picnicing does not seem inappropriate behaviour 4 a churchyard (so long as people r quiet and clear up properly). Sometimes we have arrived to find another family already there picnicing or playing nearby. This also seems fine to us. My parents would love to see life carrying on around their resting place in this way. I would only b upset by drugtaking or weeing on the bench. Fran