Arun Cemeteries Service

08/09/2025

🕯️ We’re absolutely blown away by the response to our memorials consultation. Thank you to everyone who’s taken part so far including those who spoken with us to find out more. It’s the highest number of replies we’ve ever received for a survey like this, and it’s clear how deeply people care about this important topic.

This consultation is about more than just policy, it’s about how we honour loved ones, protect wildlife, and ensure our cemeteries remain peaceful, accessible and respectful spaces for generations to come. Your views will directly inform updates to our cemeteries regulations, which are a vital legal framework which includes how memorials are managed, maintained, and permitted. These regulations help us balance personal remembrance with public responsibility, ensuring fairness, safety, and dignity for all.

To make sure everyone has the chance to share their thoughts, we’re extending the consultation until at least 30 September. If you haven’t had your say yet, there’s still time; your voice matters.

📢 Complete the survey here: https://tinyurl.com/ms4xswmv

02/09/2025

🕊️ Today, officers visited our closed cemetery in Bognor Regis, just off Towncross Avenue, as part of our ongoing memorials consultation.

What do we mean by “closed”? This cemetery is no longer open to new burials, as all available space has been used. However, families may occasionally request to reopen an existing grave for a further burial, which remains possible in certain circumstances.

Including this site in our consultation is important, not only to acknowledge its continued relevance to local families, but also to reflect on its heritage. First opened over 150 years ago, the cemetery holds a number of historically significant memorials and is set within a landscape of mature trees, offering a peaceful, arboretum-like atmosphere.

Thank you to those who engaged with us this morning. Your thoughts help shape how we care for these spaces with dignity, biodiversity, and long-term stewardship in mind.

📌 You can still take part in the consultation: https://tinyurl.com/ms4xswmv

02/09/2025

🌿 Thank you to everyone who joined us at Mewsbrook Park Café yesterday as part of our memorials consultation.

We’re incredibly grateful for the thoughtful conversations, shared experiences, and genuine interest in shaping how we care for these important spaces.

It was a valuable opportunity to talk through the consultation’s aims, from enhancing biodiversity and accessibility, to supporting bereaved families and protecting the character of our cemeteries for generations to come.

Your insights help ensure that future decisions reflect the needs and values of our whole community.

If you couldn’t make it, there’s still time to take part, there will be another engagement session in Bognor Regis date to be confirmed. The consultation can be accessed here: https://tinyurl.com/ms4xswmv

🕊️ Let’s keep the conversation going.

28/08/2025

🕊️ Let’s Talk Memorials – Join Us at Mewsbrook Park Café 🕊️

On Monday 1st September, between 11:00am and 1:00pm, our Cemeteries Service team will be at Mewsbrook Park Cafe on the Littlehampton seafront for a relaxed drop-in session.

Whether you’d like help completing the memorial consultation survey, have questions about our cemeteries more broadly, or simply want to share your thoughts, we’d love to meet you.

💬 Why it matters:
Our cemeteries are places of remembrance, reflection, and quiet connection, not only with loved ones, but with nature too. We know how important it is to honour grief with dignity, while also protecting the wildlife that calls these spaces home. These priorities aren’t in conflict, they’re part of the same care and respect we owe to future generations.

Your feedback helps us find that balance. Every response to the consultation helps shape how we not only manage memorials and support bereaved families, but also preserve the natural beauty of these spaces as their custodians.

☕ Pop in for a chat, a coffee, and a moment of reflection. Let’s make sure our cemeteries continue to offer comfort, meaning, and harmony for all.

The survey can be found here; https://tinyurl.com/ms4xswmv

25/08/2025

Reminder that our Memorials Consultation is currently underway, please take a look👇

H D Tribe Ltd Funeral Directors
Reynolds Funeral Service
Co-op Funeralcare
Co-op Funeralcare
F a Holland & Son
F A Holland Funeralcare
F a Holland & Son
Darren Miles Funeral Service
Kevin Holland Funeral Service
Ian Hart Funeral Service
Dillistone & Wraights Funeral Directors of Worthing, Goring & Littlehampton
Dillistone & Wraights, Chichester, Bognor Regis and Barnham

🕊️ Have Your Say: Memorials in Our Cemeteries 🕊️

We’re inviting residents, families, and visitors to take part in an important consultation about memorials within our cemeteries.

Memorials are deeply personal. They reflect love, loss, heritage, and the stories of those who shaped our communities. As custodians of these spaces, we want to ensure that our approach to memorials is respectful, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of all who visit.

This consultation will help us:

• Review current guidelines and practices
• Understand what matters most to families and visitors
• Balance personal expression with shared space and long-term care
• Ensure our cemeteries remain places of dignity, beauty, and reflection as well accessible for all

We’re also looking closely at how memorials relate to the wider landscape, ensuring safe access for those with mobility difficulties, and protecting habitats that support local wildlife. These spaces serve many purposes: remembrance, quiet reflection, and connection with nature.

Whether you’ve experienced bereavement, regularly visit a loved one’s resting place, or simply care about how these spaces are managed, we’d value your input.

📅 The consultation is open until 21st September
📍 You can take part online at https://tinyurl.com/ms4xswmv or request a paper copy from our offices

Let’s shape a thoughtful future for our cemeteries—one that honours memory, respects diversity, and supports all who grieve.

20/08/2025

🪽 Memorial Compliance | Your Voice Matters

Memorial compliance is one of the most sensitive responsibilities we manage in our cemeteries. It covers grave adornments that extend beyond the designated space or fall outside our Cemeteries Regulations. We understand how deeply personal these tributes are, and we always remind Deed Holders of their responsibilities with empathy, care, and respect.

Our Memorial Consultation is now open. We invite feedback from the people who know these spaces best—Deed Holders, family and friends, and anyone who visits our cemeteries. Please share your thoughts on how the regulations are applied:

• Are the rules fair?
• Do they protect dignity and safety?
• Is there room for personal choice?
• Do they balance personal expression with the character of the cemetery?
• Do any rules feel overly restrictive?
• Are there cases where a rule feels too lenient?
• How could we make them more inclusive without compromising safety and upkeep?
• What support or guidance would you find most useful if you’re unsure your memorial meets the rules?

When responding to our consultation, we encourage you to use the comment box at the end to share any additional thoughts or concerns—especially if there’s something important you’d like to raise that isn’t fully addressed by the questions provided.

Your insights will shape how we move forward. Thank you for being part of this important and heartfelt conversation.

Follow this link to the consultation https://tinyurl.com/ms4xswmv

19/08/2025

🕊️ Let’s Talk About Burial Rights and Memorials 🕊️

Many people say “I own a grave” — but in council-managed cemeteries, it’s a little more nuanced.

When you arrange a burial, you’re purchasing the Exclusive Right of Burial for a specific grave space. This means:

• You (or someone you permit) can be buried there, if space allows and the council agrees.
• You can extend or transfer those rights, which last for 30 years at a time.
• You also gain the right to place a memorial — but this is subject to rules that ensure safety, dignity, and respect for all.

These rules are part of our Cemeteries Regulations, which guide how memorials are installed and how graves are maintained. The person who holds these rights is called a Deed Holder, and they’re responsible for following these regulations.

📜Since updating our regulations in 2020, we’ve worked to offer more choice in how people commemorate loved ones. Now, we’re asking for your views.

📢 Have your say in our Memorial Consultation:

• Do you feel informed about your rights and responsibilities as a Deed Holder?
• Should we offer more memorial options?
• How should we handle situations when graves don’t meet the regulations?

Your feedback helps us ensure our cemeteries remain places of dignity, remembrance, and safe access for all.

💬 Your voice matters. Let’s shape the future of our cemeteries together.

Click here to access the consultation; https://tinyurl.com/ms4xswmv

18/08/2025

🕊️ Have Your Say: Memorials in Our Cemeteries 🕊️

We’re inviting residents, families, and visitors to take part in an important consultation about memorials within our cemeteries.

Memorials are deeply personal. They reflect love, loss, heritage, and the stories of those who shaped our communities. As custodians of these spaces, we want to ensure that our approach to memorials is respectful, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of all who visit.

This consultation will help us:

• Review current guidelines and practices
• Understand what matters most to families and visitors
• Balance personal expression with shared space and long-term care
• Ensure our cemeteries remain places of dignity, beauty, and reflection as well accessible for all

We’re also looking closely at how memorials relate to the wider landscape, ensuring safe access for those with mobility difficulties, and protecting habitats that support local wildlife. These spaces serve many purposes: remembrance, quiet reflection, and connection with nature.

Whether you’ve experienced bereavement, regularly visit a loved one’s resting place, or simply care about how these spaces are managed, we’d value your input.

📅 The consultation is open until 21st September
📍 You can take part online at https://tinyurl.com/ms4xswmv or request a paper copy from our offices

Let’s shape a thoughtful future for our cemeteries—one that honours memory, respects diversity, and supports all who grieve.

17/05/2025

Arun District Council would like your help in completing an Arun district residents' survey, so that we can evaluate how we are delivering services to you, our residents.
Read more here: https://ow.ly/Hj0A50VGXuV
Read

15/05/2025

🌿 Job opportunity: Grounds Maintenance Supervisor 🌿

A really exciting opportunity has arisen to join the team! Our contractor Tivoli are looking for a Grounds Maintenance Supervisor who is passionate about our local area, enjoys outdoor work, takes pride in high standards, and enjoys leading a team to success.

Apply on Indeed 👇

https://uk.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=addfab9f080776b9&from=appshareios

Arun District Council
Tivoli Group Limited

04/05/2025

We are also participating in to support the environmental initiatives of The Church of England, Caring for God's Acre and numerous other charities who are promoting a supportive environment for wildlife.

We will do so in as dignified way as possible, leaving grass in older sections to grow longer where typically the last burials were over 40 years ago. We have been managing cemeteries in this way for about seven years now and witnessed a significant enhancement to biodiversity in these peaceful and tranquil grounds.

If however you find that long grass is impeding your access to a loved one’s grave we will cut a pathway to it within 24 hours Monday-Friday, just drop us a line with the grave information to cemeteries@arun.gov.uk.

We’re participating in this annual national campaign led by Plantlife: saving wild plants. 🌱

Around our parks and greenspaces, you’ll see the grass left to grow a bit wild through May - especially around the edges. In some of the bigger parks, we’re also letting larger patches grow to create a nice, meadow-like vibe! 💚

is great for wildlife—it gives bees, butterflies, and other pollinators a much-needed boost by providing food and shelter. You can get involved too by simply letting your grass grow!

Arun District Council

12/04/2025

Springtime in the cemeteries 🌸