They’re dead serious about charging mourners money to visit their loved ones.
Owners of a cemetery in the UK have been blasted for offering paid VIP passes to relatives of those buried on the grounds.
The Garden of Remembrance, located in the town of Stoke-on-Trent, says those who don’t purchase a pass will only be able to enter the cemetery during office hours.
“From January 2025 this site will be protected by electric gates. The gates at the front of the site will open and close automatically at set times,” a notice stated outside the cemetery reads.
“Entrance to the cemetery will be via a VIP pass making the site secure for our staff, families and visitors. Please ensure you have your pass in good time for the New Year.”
A third note claims that the cost is £10 (approximately $12) per pass for access to the rose garden and £5 (approximately $6) per pass to visit a grave. It’s unclear whether it’s a one-off fee, or whether pass holders will be charged that amount each time they enter.
A separate notice says non-VIP pass holders can still enter the grounds from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“Please note, there will be no access at the weekend, on bank holidays, or any other dates when the office is closed,” the notice states. “Thank you for your co-operation.”
Grieving families blasted the decision, saying the owners have lost the (burial) plot.
“Now I need to pay a membership fee to visit my dad’s grave,” Jode Bourne, whose father Mark Bourne is buried in the grounds, wrote on Facebook. “This is an absolute disgrace. Shame on you Garden of Remembrance.”
However, cemetery owner Jason Taft hit back, telling a local newspaper that he has spent £8,000 (approximately $10,000) on security and tech upgrades to keep the cemetery safe.
The VIP passes are believed to work as key cards that will open gates that provide access to the site.
“There are 1,300 graves there and we could not send that many keys out so people can come and get a card if they want one,” Taft stated. “We are not locking people out and this gives them access to the cemetery until 9 p.m. when we would normally be closed.”
“People can know it’s safe when they’re visiting and they’ll be safe from undesirables breaking in now. The key cards are not coming into force until January 1 because people wouldn’t be happy if we did it before Christmas.”
Taft handed out 90 free passes to the most vulnerable members of the community who have relatives buried at the cemetery.
