`Ban spectators from cemetery'

From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Friday 29th Jul 2005.

A GRIEVING family mourning a baby daughter is calling for air tattoo spectators to be banned from Highworth Cemetery.

Leeanne Wheatley, 32, has written to the council demanding that a notice is put on the cemetery or a policeman at the gate to stop people using it to view the air show next year.

This comes after Mrs Wheatley and her family were at the cemetery over the weekend of the Fairford Air Tattoo to pay respects at the grave of baby daughter Elouise on the second anniversary of her death.

But, the cemetery, which is a favourite spot for people to watch the nearby airshow, was full of people watching the planes.

Mrs Wheatley said: "We went to visit our baby daughter on the second anniversary of losing her and found hoards of people watching the Fairford Air Tattoo.

"They were having picnics on the grass and children were throwing balls thinking that they could use a place of tranquillity and peace as a public park or makeshift viewing area for the air show.

"I find this behaviour totally unacceptable and quite honestly unbelievable. How can it be morally correct to use a place such as a cemetery as a social gathering of people who have absolutely no right what so ever to be there?"

Elouise, who was born prematurely, died at only three days old of a haemorrage in John Radcliffe Hospital two years ago. Her twin, Mia, in spite of being very frail at the time, is now a healthy two year old. The family visits the grave at least once a week, but their visit on Saturday, July 16, was especially important for them as it coincided with the anniversary.

"We did challenge two of the children who were throwing the ball as they were laughing and screaming so loud that they almost drowned out the noise of the aircraft flying overhead," added Mrs Wheatley.

"It was when we told them to go and play in a park that their mother told them to carry on as they were `doing no harm'.

"She then proceeded to approach us at our daughters' grave and start to argue with us that we were wrong to ask her boys to have some common decency and stop."

In a letter responding to the request, Highworth Town Council town clerk David Lane said: "I will be putting your letter before the town councillors at our next meeting which will now be in September.

"It has been traditional for Highworth people to watch the Air Tattoo from there every year. However this is the first time that the spectators have shown this disrespect as far as I am aware.

"In the event that the councillors do instruct me to exclude the public from using the cemetery as a viewing point, there are going to be problems in enforcing it.

"I can put up notices, but there is no way that the police would agree to station an officer at the cemetery.

"However I will be speaking to the police about these matters."

Jamie Hill

Archive Home