St Matthias Church- Mother's unkept grave is 'missing'

Dorothy Monk said the grass and weeds at the St Matthias Church graveyard have been allowed to get so out of control she struggled to find her daughter Samantha's graveside, and was unable to locate her mother Gladys's grave at all. 

Mrs Monk, who grew up living in Malvern with her mother but now lives in Ash Avenue in Worcester, said she was hugely upset at the 'disgraceful' state the graveyard had been left in, but that sadness later turned to anger.

St Matthias Church has expressed its heartfelt apologies for the grave's current condition and any distress this may have caused and said the cost of living crisis had played a major factor. 

Dorothy was in floods of tears after seeing her daughter's grave. (Image: Dorothy Monk)

Samantha died over 20 years ago from cancer aged just 33 and was living in Malvern at the time of her death. 

After Samantha's death, Mrs Monk raised her granddaughter Ellie, who now lives in the United States, and she was equally incensed when she saw the pictures of her mother's grave. 

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Mrs Monk told the Gazette: "I couldn't believe it when I saw the grave, but I only found it because we basically knew where Samantha was, but I couldn't even find my mother. 

"When Samantha first passed away I raised Ellie, and I would take her on the bus to visit her at the graveside and we would have a picnic and talk about her mum- moments like that could never happen now."

Mrs Monk, who turns 77 next Wednesday- the day before what would have been Samantha's birthday- struggles with back pain and relies on people to give her lifts to the graveyard. 

But she said she intended to return soon to find her mother's grave and, with the help of friends, to tidy her loved ones resting places. 

The Revd James Williams from St Matthias Church said: “The recent increase in the cost of living has led to significant inflation in energy and everyday expenses.

"The Parochial Church Council has made the difficult decision to prioritise our community projects, particularly those which provide essential support to those most vulnerable in our town. 

"Regrettably, this has meant significant cuts to our budget for maintaining churchyards and hedgerows, limiting us to essential maintenance only. 

"However, with the kind support of a local business, we have made some progress in resuming grass cutting.

"Additionally, as the churchyard is now full, the parish must transfer maintenance responsibility to the local authority, and we are actively working on this transition. 

"In the meantime, we are organizing volunteer groups to help keep the churchyard tidy and would greatly appreciate any assistance from the local community."