Candlelit remembrance ceremony to be held in HarrogatePhoto of the Week: The fallen in the fallCar dealer expansion prompts noise fears at Stonefall CemeteryPhoto of the Week: A long-range view of the Great Yorkshire Show big wheelMourner says state of Harrogate cemetery is ‘disrespectful’

A mourner has been left heartbroken after finding Harrogate‘s Stonefall Cemetery in a “neglected state”.

Shirley Askew often goes to the cemetery to visit her late husband’s grave and has been left upset after seeing the ‘disrespectful’ state of the site.

Ms Askew went to the cemetery over the weekend and found weeds surrounding headstones and overflowing bins.

She said:

“I was very upset to find the area totally neglected with overflowing rubbish bins a few meters from where ashes are scattered. What was once a gentle flowing stream has been covered over by overgrown grass since last summer and has left a stagnant pool.

“The areas in front of the benches are full of weeds. But the really upsetting sight was all the headstones surrounded by 2-3 foot high weeds. No part of the cemetery should look like this, but these are all fairly recent graves. Have the council considered the feelings of grieving loved ones seeing such neglect and disrespect.”

Weeds surrounding headstones and benches at Stonefall Cemetery. Image: Shirley Askew

She added:

“I’m so relieved I visited alone as I would have been so ashamed for other family members to have seen my husbands resting place treated with such disrespect.”

This is not the first time mourners have been left distressed by the state of Stonefall Cemetery.

Two years ago, Trish Stephenson, who goes to the cemetery to visit the grave of her cousin, described the state of the site as “disgraceful”. At the time, the former Harrogate Borough Council said it would make the site a priority.

Graves are barely noticeable due to the overgrown weeds at Stonefall Cemetery. Image: Shirley Askew

At the time, a spokesperson for the council said:

“Demand on our teams has understandably been high over the last two years but these works will now be prioritised.

“The team will visit Stonefall Cemetery in the coming weeks and address any concerns that have been raised. Some areas are being left to grow and not mown as we want to encourage biodiversity, attract pollinators and create habitats. We will of course continue to mow the grass along pathways and around gravestones so that mourners can pay their respects to their loved ones.”

Immaculate war graves

The war graves are decorated with flower and maintained at Stonefall Cemetery

Ms Askew added that the Wetherby Road entrance up to and around the crematorium is completely free of weeds.

She added:

“Presumably because this is the area seen by funeral attendees. All of the rubbish bins should be placed behind fencing or hedges, not just the ones near the crematorium.”

The clean white headstones of the war graves at Stonefall Cemetery

The Stray Ferret contacted North Yorkshire Council who said they would look into the issue but did not give any further details at this time.

Read more:

Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery to hold candlelit remembrance service

A candlelit service will be held at Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery next weekend to remember those who died in wars .

Members of the public can attend the Candlelit Christmas Remembrance service, which is being held by the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation.

At the event, people will be provided with battery-operated tealights to place on the graves of the fallen. This will be followed by a short service of Remembrance.

Harrogate woman Benji Walker, whose son serves in the Royal Yorkshire Regiment, was inspired by images of other Commonwealth war graves cemeteries in Europe lit by candlelight.

She said:

“I feel it’s as important today as it was at the time to recognise the sacrifice of those who gave everything to serve this country.

“The Candlelit Christmas Remembrance is a chance for the local community to gather to remember the sacrifice of the hundreds of CWGC casualties buried at Stonefall, many of them thousands of miles from home.”

Members of the public can also sponsor a candle, with profits being split between The Commonwealth War Foundation and Help for Heroes.

Elizabeth Smith, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission public engagement coordinator, said:

“This wonderful candlelit event has become an annual fixture, and it allows people to connect with their history whilst remembering those who fought and died in both world wars.”

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which oversees the foundation, was founded by Royal Charter in 1917.

It works on behalf of the governments of Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK to commemorate more than 1.5 million people who lost their lives in the two world wars.

Stonefall Cemetery is one of the largest CWGC sites in the north of England, with more than 1,000 commonwealth graves.

More than 600 of the casualties buried there served with the Royal Canadian Air Force, including two 17-year-olds, during the Second World War.

Ms Smith added:

“The plot of war graves at Stonefall is unique in Yorkshire because of its resemblance to sites in France and Belgium. At the end of the Second World War local people were encouraged to adopt the war graves from overseas and lay wreaths on behalf of their families at Christmas.

“So, because of that connection, it’s a special time of year and we warmly invite everyone to come along.

“The Candlelit Christmas Remembrance allows local people to reconnect with their history and pay their respects to the fallen.”

The service will take place on Sunday, December 17 at 3.30pm.

The meeting point is the war graves plot adjacent to Forest Lane and parking is available in the cemetery car park.

Read more:

 

Axolotl one of first animals cremated at Harrogate pet crematorium

With its “smiling” face, pointy gills and the ability to regenerate lost limbs — the axolotl is undoubtedly the most unusual animal to pass through North Yorkshire Council’s new pet crematorium.

It opened at Stonefall Cemetery on Wetherby Road in February with a promise of providing a dignified cremation for the region’s beloved pets.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the council through an FOI request for a list of all the animals that have been cremated there so far.

It’s been a modest start for the service, with 10 dogs, eight cats, two rabbits, one rat, one guinea pig, one hamster and one axolotl being cremated over the last five months.

Depending on the animal, the council charges a fee of between £76 and £125 per cremation.

Owners can then collect their pets’ ashes along with a memorial certificate.

What is an axolotl?

Axolotls are a species of salamander found in cool waters in Mexico but they’ve become more popular as a pet in the UK thanks to fame on the video game Minecraft and on TikTok.

But the recent trend has led the RSCPA to raise concerns about some owners not being able to look after them properly.

Axolotls require a large aquarium, live for up to 15 years and can grow as long as 120cm.

They are carnivores and their diet consists of live invertebrates such as earthworms, blood worm, black worm and shrimp.

Critically endangered in the wild, axolotls can also regrow lost limbs, making them popular with scientists who want to understand regeneration.

Jordan Mangham, owner of pet shop Peculiar Pets in Heckmondwike, told the LDRS why the creatures are becoming more popular as a pet in Yorkshire.

He said:

“Axolotls have become popular due to their simple care routine, long life expectancy and constantly ‘smiling’ faces. They found a little extra fame through Tik Tok and also the game Minecraft.

“Luckily the responsible selling of axolotls led to them becoming popular and not a disposable pet. There’s a huge amount of information available on Google, YouTube and through specialist pet shops like myself.

“They cannot be handled and are essentially treated like a pet fish, but they learn quickly who feeds them and most will greet their owners and accept food from tongs or fingers quite happily and become quite interactive little pets.”

Read more:

 

Harrogate service to commemorate fallen soldiers from Australia and New Zealand

A ceremony to honour service personnel from Australia and New Zealand who are buried at Stonefall Cemetery will be held next weekend.

The Anzac Day Ceremony will be hosted by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on Sunday, April 23. The ceremony is to honour second world war casualties from the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Stonefall Cemetery has more than a thousand Commonwealth war graves. There are 97 Royal Australian Air Force and 23 Royal New Zealand Air Force servicemen buried at the site, the majority of whom died while bomber command bases were established across Yorkshire.

The event has been organised by Kate Spencer, who looks after the twinning between Harrogate and Wellington for Harrogate International Partnerships.

Kate said:

“As a New Zealander, our day of commemoration for those who fell in both World Wars is on April 25 each year. The history of Anzac Day stems from the landings of 16,000 Australian and New Zealand forces on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey, now referred to as Anzac Cove, on April 25, 1915. Together with allied forces, more than 100,000 lives were lost in that campaign.

“A year ago I organised our first Anzac Day commemoration and I feel so privileged to be preparing once again to honour not only my New Zealand countrymen buried in Stonefall, but also 97 Australians who gave their young lives in the service of their countries.”

Read More: 

Harrogate has been twinned with the New Zealand capital of Wellington since 1953, with the New Zealand Garden that lies within Valley Gardens forming a tribute to those Kiwi airmen buried at Stonefall.

Kate, who in March this year presented gifts to the new Mayor of Wellington Tory Whanau, said:

“Not only the RNZAF but Wellington City Council are enormously grateful for everything being done to honour their men in this way. We look forward to welcoming you at the event and we are grateful to the CWGC for hosting the commemoration.”

The ceremony will see representation from both the Australian and New Zealand High Commission, as well as the Mayor and Mayoress of Harrogate and Andrew Jones MP. The music will be provided by Harrogate Band and a pupil from Harrogate Grammar School will sing the New Zealand national anthem in both Maori and English.

Members of the public are invited to attend the ceremony which will take place in the war graves plot adjacent to Forest Lane.

The public are invited to gather from 12.30pm. The ceremony will start at 1pm.

Harrogate police officer sexually assaulted woman while on duty, trial hears

A Harrogate police officer sexually assaulted a woman at a cemetery in Harrogate while he was on duty, it’s alleged.

Christopher Hudson, 32, assaulted the woman in a car park at Stonefall Cemetery on Wetherby Road, the prosecution told a jury at Leeds Crown Court.

Prosecuting barrister Gerald Hendron said Hudson, who was serving as a police constable based at Harrogate Police Station at the time of the alleged incident, stroked the woman on the back of the neck and ear and “pulled her…towards him”.

He then kissed her, but she repeatedly told him “No”. 

Mr Hendron added:

“She started to panic but he continued.

“He took hold of her hand and moved it on (an intimate part of his body).

“The defendant had his hand (near an intimate part of her body) and touched her there.”

She later told friends about what happened and how “shocked and confused” she had been during and after the incident.

Mr Hendron said:

“She feared she would not be believed.”

Read more:

She sought help from a counsellor about stress which was brought on by the alleged incident in February 2021. 

Hudson, of Hollin Terrace, Huddersfield, was arrested in March of that year when he denied sexually assaulting the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

He denies one count of sexual assault.

The trial continues. 

Stonefall Cemetery to host free war graves tours this month

*UPDATE*: This event has been cancelled as a mark of respect for Her Majesty.

 

Free tours will be held at Stonefall Cemetery next month where visitors can learn about some of the remarkable men and women of the Commonwealth forces who are buried there.

They are being organised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) as part of the Heritage Open Days Scheme and will take place on September 10, 15, 17 and 18.

More than 1,000 casualties from both world wars are buried at Stonefall Cemetery.

Staff will be telling some new stories this year including the story of Dorothy Robson also known as ‘Bomb Sight Bertha’, the engineer who was instrumental in the development of the bomb sight on bombers and Flight Lieutenant Vincent Parker who was known as the ‘Locksmith of Colditz’.

On September 15, members of the public can also try their hand at stone engraving and will learn about how the CWGC maintains the headstones at the cemetery.

The director of external relations at the CWGC, Liz Woodfield, said:

“Everyone in Harrogate is very welcome to attend the Heritage Open Days at Stonefall Cemetery. They’re a great opportunity to learn how the CWGC honours and cares for the men and women of the Commonwealth who died in the First and Second World Wars, ensuring they will never be forgotten.

“There’ll be plenty going on from fascinating tours and talks to interactive activities such as stone engraving. Visitors will also learn how the CWGC is becoming more sustainable and is playing its part in tackling the key environmental concerns of our time.”

To book a free tour, visit www.cwgc.org/opendays .

Read More: