<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
</head>
<body>
<p><i>From OIC Updates:</i></p>
<p>Can you help us link up memorials with families?<br>
We’re asking local folk to help us link up memorials flagged as
needing safety work with respective families.<br>
Last year, we inspected more than 21,000 memorials in the county’s
cemeteries.<br>
Of these, 56 were identified as being hazardous, many of them very
old - one is already repaired, and 14 are in the process of
having repairs arranged by relatives.<br>
</p>
The average age of the memorials needing to be made safe is over 100
years – with the passage of time we think many are unlikely to be in
the care of very close relatives. <br>
So, if you think you may be able to help us link up memorials with
families before any works are undertaken, please visit our website
at the link below and take a look.<br>
Our Burial Service team plans to start a programme of works to ‘make
safe’ the identified memorials in April. We’re urging people with
family members buried in Orkney to check the list and contact us as
soon as possible if they want to discuss a memorial flagged as
unsafe.<br>
The Council has a duty of care to the public to keep our cemeteries
safe. Families are responsible for the cost of maintaining
memorials, including keeping them in safe condition. <br>
For unsafe memorials, where no-one comes forward to arrange remedial
works, the memorial will be made safe by the Council. There are a
range of options for this but in some cases the memorial will need
to be laid flat to make it safe. If this is done the memorial will
be laid face up, on a slight slant to ensure that water can run off.
<br>
We work with local community councils to try identify and contact
families so they can understand what needs to be done with unsafe
memorials, and we provide as much notice as we can to community
councils of any intended work.<br>
You can:<br>
• Check the list of unsafe memorials here: <br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Files/Burial%20Services/Full%20list%20of%20HHs.pdf">https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Files/Burial%20Services/Full%20list%20of%20HHs.pdf</a><br>
• Find out more here: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.orkney.gov.uk/News?postid=7098">https://www.orkney.gov.uk/News?postid=7098</a><br>
• Contact our Burial Services team by phoning 01856 873535 ext 2703.
</body>
</html>