Councillor calls for baby memorial restoration

A councillor has called for the restoration of a memorial to stillborn babies ahead of the 40th anniversary of its unveiling.

The stone monument, located in Barnsley Cemetery on Cemetery Road, was unveiled by then-mayor Alice Wood in July 1986.

Councillor Jake Lodge, whose sister was stillborn in 1990 and is buried at the site, is hoping the council will restore the memorial before its anniversary next year.

He will make the request at a full council meeting on Friday.

Lodge told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that his mum, who was 16 at the time, was asked if she wanted her daughter to be buried in a mass grave - which she refused.

"It's personal for me because my sister is buried here," said Lodge.

"Every time we came up, my mam always used to tell us to put a flower in the top for the kids that weren't recognised."

Before the 1980s, the bodies of stillborn and miscarried babies were often taken away by hospital workers and families were not given any details of their resting place.

Many were buried in mass graves and memorials like this one commemorate the children of families who may not have known their exact burial site.

If its restoration is agreed, Lodge hopes the current mayor will attend a re-dedication ceremony in July 2026, along with faith leaders and affected families.

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