My name is Lisa Angell and I am an angel mummy of Alysha Angell. In 2005 my daughter tragically passed away, she was buried at Sutton in Ashfield cemetery. The cemetery over the years has been maintained very poorly, the children’s graves have been victims of theft, dog fouling, and low maintenance so where these graves was grassed and looked nice and bright they soon became boggy, muddy, wet, dark and disgusting. Many parents no longer visit their child’s grave because of this and this has a huge effect on their mental health.

Many parents have complained to the council over the year and are always given broken promises and the situation just gets worse.

Over 17 years ago I contacted the council about things being stolen off my daughters grave, their response on many occasions was not to put anything on. My little girl is buried there and why wouldn’t I want her to look loved and perfect, it’s the least I can do.

The worse it got the more I complained, I went to the leader of Ashfield district council and have evidence that 3 years ago he accepted this was not acceptable and would sort it. This got worse and worse. It effect my mental health so badly that I felt my only option was suicide, I had not slept for 17 years, every time I left her I felt that someone would steal her things, I felt like I had left my precious baby in a dark, dirty hole surrounded in darkness. Our babies should be surrounded in colour, flowers, pretty lights and ornaments. But this is not the case. I took the brave decision in November to exhume my baby, for my sanity as I couldn’t carry on like this. This was a very hard but right decision for me and I feel at peace, however my friends and fellow angel mummies/daddies are not at peace; and many feel the way I did, some wanting the courage to do what I did. This shouldn’t be the case.

Since exhuming my daughter we have had a few meetings with the council who are now listening to us, they are trying to sort the surfaces out, applied slate over the graves (looks better but still looks a mess) and planted a few flowers, they have given us permission to brighten it up with lights, flowers, ornaments, pretty much anything as long as we get it passed, they are sorting the resurfacing and CCTV.

I am asking as a community if you can help me and my angel families get these baby’s graves look beautiful once again. We are a private community group with lots of ideas on how to make these forever resting beds look beautiful and peaceful once again.

As a mummy to a beautiful little girl all i wanted to see/feel when visiting her grave was to imagine all the children playing together, feeling peaceful and being able to visit without dread. If you can spare a few pounds to help us light up this section of the graveyard then we will all be eternally grateful. Please help me put some peace back in to the lives of these families that dread going to see their babies.

In your lifetime as a parent the one thing unimaginable is to lose a child, that is bad enough until you visit Sutton Cemetery then your nightmare becomes even worse.

Wegoin todoing a go fund me too and with help of the public try and sort this mess out once and for all.