Cemetery bench honours people in unmarked graves

A new memorial bench honouring those buried in unmarked graves, including stillborn babies, will be the "perfect" place for people "to reflect, pray and remember loved ones", a charity has said.

The seat in Darwen Cemetery, in Lancashire, has been unveiled in the Ashes and Memorial Garden.

It was provided by the Friends of Darwen Cemetery (FODC) who has helped families who wanted to find relatives in common graves.

Trustee John East said: "We have been looking for an appropriate way to commemorate the many still baby deaths and those many local folk who have no marked graves in Darwen Cemetery."

The seat was unveiled by Rossendale and Darwen MP Andy MacNae following a dedication service by Reverend Terry Young.

East previously told the BBC that common graves at the cemetery included "infants, stillbirths and many victims of the epidemics – including cholera, typhoid and flu – which swept the town in the 1800s and early 1900s".

The FODC has information on its website to help people find a grave.

"The bench will be perfect for the community to reflect, pray and remember loved ones," East said.

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