Grandmother Angry after Council Demands She Removes Tributes from Her Twin Grandbabies' Graves

A council issued an apology note after a mom who lost her twin sons was given four days to clear away all the decorations from the grave. The twins' grandma has vowed to continue her campaign of keeping the graves as they are.

Losing a loved one can leave you feeling devastated and broken. However, when a parent loses their child or vice versa, the stinging pain never goes away, leaving a void that can never be filled.

For many families, the only connection with their deceased members is visiting their graves. People often place flowers or heartfelt tributes and decorations on the graves of their dead loved ones as a means to honor and cherish their bond.

19-year-old Courtney Barnes and her 42-year-old mom, Tracy, felt angry and sad when they were asked to do away with decorations from their twin babies' graves following a letter issued by the Solihull Council. The letter also read:

"To enable the grounds staff to carry out the works and to safeguard any decorations you have placed onto the grave mound, would you please remove these October 17 2021."

Apparently, the council issued the notice in light of the cemetery regulations, which reflected that the graves stood a chance of being disturbed in the light of a new turf being laid down at Woodlands Cemetery.

Courtney, who once again became a mom to twin boys on October 15 this year, lost her twins Lorenzo and Jackson nearly a year ago, on September 20, 2020. Regarding the council's notice to clear the decorations, Tracy expressed:

"I've spent hours and hours in the garden painting things, everything on their grave is made by me. I didn't buy anything from anyone, I made every item on there and it took me a long time."

The twins' gran added that with Christmas around the corner, her plans of decorating the graves and making her grandkids' "forever beds" look more beautiful were destroyed. Tracy and Courtney had spent the last few months preparing the beds.

As per the council's letter, decorations would only be permitted on slabs, concrete, or graveled area at the grave's head. If people failed to remove decorations from other areas, they would be taken down by the authorities.

The angry gran and her daughter are among the many grieving families who have received the council letter. They have now filed a petition, which has amassed up to 500 signatures as of October 18.

Tracy and Courtney are of the viewpoint that the council compelling people to take down the heartfelt tributes and decorations is unjustified, and they will do whatever it takes to fight for keeping their babies' graves the way they are.

After finding out about how much distress the letter caused the grieving loved ones, including Tracy and Courtney, the council went on to issue a groveling apology, giving more time to remove the decorations from the graves. The apology note said:

“The graves need to be turfed but we recognise that families need more time to prepare. We will give families at each cemetery four weeks in turn to move tributes and other items before work begins."

Lorenzo and Jackson's graves include fencing, stones, angels, and a cross, which will all be taken down if they are unable to fit on a narrow slab. Despite the apology, Tracy is determined to fight for her grandkids and all kids buried at Woodland Cemetery.