MEMBERS of a church council are supporting a family in the battle to keep their daughter's headstone.

Marilyn and Tony Cheetham from Brook Bank, Harwood, are battling to overturn an order from the Diocese of Manchester to remove their daughter Hayley's memorial from Christ's Church churchyard.

Christ's Church Parochial Council has written a letter to the Diocese offering their support to the heartbroken family and expressing their hope that Church of England laws will be relaxed.

Secretary of the PCC group, Roy Pearson and lay preacher, Mike Frost, visited the Cheethams to prove churchgoers are fully backing their fight after the council's 32 members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the headstone staying in place. Mr Pearson said: "I would support any family that is grieving like the Cheethams.

"I've got two daughters of my own and I can understand why they want the headstone to stay.

"Some people mistakenly think the PCC is asking the Cheethams to remove the headstone, but it is the Diocese.

Opinion

"We wanted to write as a group rather than individually to show the weight of opinion."

As reported in the BEN, the row erupted because the headstone has an engraved picture of Hayley on it.

The Cheethams are taking their case to the Church of England's consistory court and have gathered support with more than 2,000 people signing a petition. They have even written to the Queen who replied by offering her condolences to the family and promising to pass their letter to the church commission in London.

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

Tony Cheetham said: "The support we are receiving during our Justice for Hayley Campaign is overwhelming and the conversations we have had with various people from all different walks of life agree 100 per cent that it is now time for the ancient law to be changed allowing grieving families and friends to take some comfort when visiting their loved ones.

"I would like to apologise for putting Christ's Church in this awkward position by our actions, but it is the only way to get people to listen to us."

"Unfortunately the Diocese would simply not listen on a human level at this most sensitive time in our lives."

MEMBERS of a church council are supporting a family in the battle to keep their daughter's headstone.

Marilyn and Tony Cheetham from Brook Bank, Harwood, are battling to overturn an order from the Diocese of Manchester to remove their daughter Hayley's memorial from Christ's Church churchyard.

Christ's Church Parochial Council has written a letter to the Diocese offering their support to the heartbroken family and expressing their hope that Church of England laws will be relaxed.

Secretary of the PCC group, Roy Pearson and lay preacher, Mike Frost, visited the Cheethams to prove churchgoers are fully backing their fight after the council's 32 members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the headstone staying in place. Mr Pearson said: "I would support any family that is grieving like the Cheethams.

"I've got two daughters of my own and I can understand why they want the headstone to stay.

"Some people mistakenly think the PCC is asking the Cheethams to remove the headstone, but it is the Diocese.

Opinion

"We wanted to write as a group rather than individually to show the weight of opinion."

The row erupted because the headstone has an engraved picture of Hayley on it.

The Cheethams are taking their case to the Church of England's consistory court and have gathered support with more than 2,000 people signing a petition. They have even written to the Queen who replied by offering her condolences to the family and promising to pass their letter to the church commission in London.

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

Tony Cheetham said: "The support we are receiving during our Justice for Hayley Campaign is overwhelming and the conversations we have had with various people from all different walks of life agree 100 per cent that it is now time for the ancient law to be changed allowing grieving families and friends to take some comfort when visiting their loved ones.

"I would like to apologise for putting Christ's Church in this awkward position by our actions, but it is the only way to get people to listen to us."