Graveyards must improve accessibility after “distressing situation”

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Galway Daily life & style Exploring local heritage by understanding our graveyards
Councillor Andrew Reddington has urged Galway County Council to conduct an audit on the accessibility to graveyards for people with disabilities.
The councillor spoke about a recent encounter with an individual who attended a funeral, but had to remain seated outside the graveyard, describing it as a ‘distressing situation’ to witness.
Cllr Reddington emphasized that each graveyard committee throughout the county operates on a limited budget, and only receives a small annual grant for maintenance.
He said that it is impractical for every graveyard committee to ensure accessibility on their own and called for further action to be taken in this matter.
Reddington urged the council’s executive to thoroughly examine the issue and allocate grants to the graveyard committees to improve accessibility.
“Funding needs to be given to graveyard committees to make sure that they can provide access for those for have disabilities,” he said.