Cemetery's new guardian angels; LAUNCH: Friends' group aims to get rid of the vandals and make heritage site a well-preserved haven.Byline: By Sian PowellLONDON ROAD London Road may refer to several hundred (at least) roads. England There are literally hundreds of London Roads in England. Only those which are significant outside their local area are listed here:
Plagued by vandalism, arson arson, at common law, the malicious and willful burning of the house of another. Originally, it was an offense against the security of habitation rather than against property rights. , antisocial antisocial /an·ti·so·cial/ (-so´sh'l) 1. denoting behavior that violates the rights of others, societal mores, or the law. 2. denoting the specific personality traits seen in antisocial personality disorder. behaviour and neglect, the city's oldest cemetery has become a haven for underage drinking and socialising. But the newly-formed Friends of London Road Cemetery hopes to change all that and restore the site to its former glory. Established in 1847, the cemetery is home to a number of listed buildings and is a haven for wildlife despite its proximity to the city centre. Already, the new members are talking about producing a leaflet to attract more visitors to the cemetery, and others are keen to see if an arson-hit chapel could be converted into an education facility. The group wants to raise awareness of the cemetery and its heritage and even get the site on the tourist map - and it is calling on Coventry City Council to improve maintenance. Cllr Phil Townshend, (Lab, Lower Stoke stoke n. A unit of kinematic viscosity equal to that of a fluid with a viscosity of one poise and a density of one gram per milliliter. stoke ) who attended the Friends' inaugural meeting and was one of the first to join, is backing the campaign. He said: "It's an embarrassment to a city the size of Coventry that there is not better management of the issues around maintenance, conservation, preservation of the environment and safety." Pat Neal, who lives in nearby Quarryfield Lane, organised the Friends' meeting. He said: "I just think it's such a lovely place. Because of the lack of awareness a lot of people have never bothered to go and look at it. But I think they would enjoy it if they took the time to wander round there." The new society is looking to recruit members. Anyone interested can phone Mr Neal on 07919 525223 or e-mail lrcemetery@aol.com CAPTION(S): SAD STATE... Chapels at London Road cemetery have been attacked by vandals. |
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