They are extremely serious about charging mourners money to visit their loved ones.
The owners of a cemetery in Britain have faced criticism for offering paid VIP passes to relatives of people buried in the grounds.
The Garden of Remembrance, based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, says those who do not purchase a pass will only be able to enter the cemetery during office hours.
“This site will be protected by electric gates from January 2025. The gates at the front of the site will open and close automatically at scheduled times,” reads a notice posted outside the cemetery.
“Entry to the cemetery will be via a VIP pass making the site safe for our staff, families and visitors. Please make sure you have a good time in the New Year.”
A third note claims it costs £10 (about $12) per pass to access the rose garden and £5 (about $6) per pass to visit the tomb. It’s unclear whether this is a one-time fee, or whether pass holders will be charged that amount each time they enter.
A separate notice said non-VIP pass holders can still enter the grounds from 9am to 3pm from Monday to Friday.
“Please note, there will be no access at weekends, on bank holidays, or on any other dates when the office is closed,” the notice said. “Thank you for your cooperation.”
The grieving families criticized the decision, saying the owners had lost the (burial) land.
“Now I have to pay a membership fee to visit my father’s grave,” Jode Bourne, whose father Mark Bourne is buried on the grounds, wrote on Facebook. “This is extremely insulting. You should be ashamed, Garden of Remembrance.”
However, cemetery owner Jason Taft hit back, telling a local newspaper They have spent £8,000 (about $10,000) on security and technological upgrades to keep the cemetery safe.
VIP passes are believed to serve as key cards that will open gates granting access to the site.
“There are 1,300 graves there and we can’t send out enough keys for people to come and get a card if they want a card,” Taft said. “We are not turning people out and this gives them access to the cemetery until 9 p.m., when we are normally closed.”
“People can know that it is safe when they travel and they will now be protected from unwanted things. The key cards won’t be implemented until January 1 because if we did it before Christmas people wouldn’t be happy.
Taft gave 90 free passes to the most vulnerable members of the community who had relatives buried in the cemetery.
