PARENTS fighting to save the headstone at their daughter's grave should know by the end of the year if they have been successful.

Marilyn and Tony Cheetham of Brook Bank, Harwood, met a Church of England representative on Friday to discuss the forthcoming consistory court hearing in which they will fight to keep their daughter Hayley's memorial at Christ's Church.

The couple had been asked to remove the memorial to 24-year-old Hayley as it includes an engraved picture of her.

Mr and Mrs Cheetham have been overwhelmed by support from members of the public in their campaign to keep the headstone and have collected more than 2,000 signatures for a petition which they will present at the hearing.

The hearing, which is likely to be held at the Harwood church, should last no longer than a day with a chance for the Cheethams to state their case before the registrar and chancellor of the diocese.

The couple also hope to enlist the help of the stonemason who worked on Hayley's memorial to speak at the hearing.

Mr Cheetham said: "After practically 18 months of corresponding by letter with the Manchester Diocese, we were finally invited to attend a meeting by and with the registrar, Michael Darlington. Also our good friends Keith and Kath Fletcher came along to support us.

"Unfortunately we were not allowed to discuss the main issue of Hayley's headstone, but the procedure of the consistory court hearing was outlined to us.

"It seems very few people know the workings of a consistory court.

"This being the case, we remain a little perplexed as to why we were not offered a similar meeting originally.

"However, the downside of the discussion was that the date for the official hearing could be as late as mid-December, and as we were informed that the chancellor's decision would follow 14 days later by post, it makes the prospect of Christmas, which is a difficult time for us anyway, even harder."

Hayley, a former Turton High School pupil, died last February when a fire swept through a listed cottage after a house party in Esher, Surrey.