Thank you to all the contributions on Facebook which have been understanding of the situation at the cemeteries which are controlled by Cromer Town Council.

As Chairman of the Works Committee – responsible for the cemeteries - I have been kept informed and along with the officers, been involved in all the decision making regarding the closing and opening of the cemetery.

The last thing I or anyone on Cromer Town Council would want to do is upset anyone who wishes to visit the grave of any family member or friends but these are times where we are living day to day and learning day to day.

Due to my employment, I am a key worker and to support other colleagues in recent weeks have had to learn new skills and take on other roles I have previously known nothing about.

The same goes for the running of our cemetery where new legislation along with guidance from the Government has not been a one-size-fits-all.

This is no criticism of anyone at the helm of our country as it has been a challenging and trying time for everyone.

It has already been mentioned by officers and my colleague, Cllr. Tim Adams that our cemetery is a little different as we have not just a crematorium within the grounds but also allotments so we had to seek additional information to ensure we were closing the grounds appropriately and now, we were re-opening them correctly.

The officers and I have received so much information and guidance in recent days it has been time-consuming to go through and thoroughly understand it.

We had a weekend during this time which further delayed matters.

Clarity arrived late on Monday, and I requested officers to commence re-opening by Wednesday morning due to all of the work involved with contacting third parties, prepare notices, inform the press, funeral directors and update the public through social media.

Such is the dedication of the officers; this was actually achieved before lunchtime Tuesday with the public able to access the cemetery that afternoon.

Officers, myself, and other colleagues on the Council will continue to closely follow what information is provided by Government which could even lead to a further closure, but it is something as I mentioned above, that we do not enjoy doing.

All I ask that whether visiting the cemetery or allotments, you follow the well-known rules of keeping safe by maintaining social distancing and not gathering in groups.

Together, as a town we will beat this dreadful virus and look forward to better times together in the near future.

David Pritchard

Councillor – Cromer Town Council