Hailsham Town Council’s Cemetery Wardens

Hailsham Town Council is reminding residents about the role of Cemetery Wardens, carried out by designated local councillors.

Town councillors Barbara Holbrook and Anne Blake-Coggins are the current Cemetery Wardens and, acting as ambassadors for the cemetery in Ersham Road, they work closely with the Cemetery Superintendent and Burials Officer, attending the cemetery regularly to recommend any additional maintenance required at the site.

Considerable improvements have already been made to the cemetery in recent years, and further work will get under way this summer to refurbish the Old Garden of Remembrance, including the removal of the existing beech perimeter hedge which has caused problems in the past due to heavy leaf drop.

All existing paths in the area will be re-laid using existing materials and the area of grass in the middle of the garden will be removed and offered to the community as new ashes interment plots.

The burial area gained will release up to 100 ashes plots.

“Hailsham Cemetery is a quiet, secluded burial ground run by the Town Council and maintained for maximum peace for those visiting loved ones,” said Deputy Town Clerk & Business Enterprise Manager, Mickey Caira. “We want to ensure that our cemetery provides a fitting and appropriate place for people to visit their loved ones, which is why we not only continue to maintain the site to an excellent standard necessary, but we also continue to appoint councillors in cemetery warden roles to monitor upkeep of the grounds and make suggestions for further improvements in the future.”

“By doing these things, we can ensure that the cemetery remains a place the community can be truly proud of.”

Hailsham Cemetery offers spaces for the burial of coffins, as well as two Gardens of Remembrance and a separate space available for the interment of cremated remains. The cemetery also includes an area for ‘meadowland burials’ – for unmarked ‘green’ burials in bio-degradable coffins with no monuments or headstones.

The cemetery grass is cut around the graves on a regular basis and to a generally high standard. The rest of the cemetery is maintained and repaired regularly by the Town Council’s Cemetery Superintendent, and the Council endeavours to inspect and assess the condition of the cemetery as often as possible.

Hailsham Cemetery is generally open from ‘dawn until dusk’. If you are intending to visit and wish to enquire about where a particular burial plot is, please call the Burials Officer on 01323 841702 (9am-4pm, Monday to Friday), who will be happy to assist. Alternatively, send an email.