Outlook;
£ I .* 1 “ - V . ■v\'->Ti'9A b y , >- -V i .. -. •. S t - - • ■ - - '* ^ Mr Annable with the striking horse grave M a g g ie Annable, 38,
MARGARET WRIGHT visits possibly the best-kept cemetery in Lancashire. And it s
for animals not humans!
HIGH on a hillside, look ing down on an E a s t Lancashire village, lies a graveyard. A wonder fully c a red - fo r place, where even the bleakest winter can’t take away the beauty of this final re s t in g ground. . . lor many hundreds oi much-
loved family pets. The idea of a cemetery,
crematorium and memorial gardens for pets may seem a bit over the top to those who think that gravestones and memorial plaques s h o u l d j u s t be f or humankind.
But you might think dif
ferently if you knew that the origins, nearly 25 years ago, of the Rossendale Pets Cemetery and memorial gardens at Crawshawbooth belong with a farmer; a man working with animals daily; dealing with their life and (loath as unsentimentally as farmers often have to do, yet still having a love for
them. The present owners,
Maggie and Geoff Annable have always loved and worked with animals and they and their two daugh ters have a mini-menagerie at their farmhouse home. They realise that families, couples, people living alone, often suffer great sadness on the death of a pet which has been part of their lives for many years. The farmer, a Mr Dick
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now is, began it all. To the memory of his dog
buried on the slopes, he had made a headstone inscribed “Judy 1957-117 ‘She never to ld ’ a l ie ’ Killed by a tractor.”
Later, other pet owners
asked him if they too could bury their pets in the same
field. Now, over 20 years later,
there are 1,218 graves. As well, there are 501 intorr- ment plots for ashes. And hundreds of plaques on the Wall of Remembrance. Names of pets are every
where. There are nine horses buried, including a strik ing memo r i a l to Brandy in the form of a horse jump; there is a plot set aside for budgies, can aries and Lhe like. There’s also the occa
sional grave of a calf, a loal, a pet lamb and even a chim panzee. There’s even a Jew ish section, recognisable by the Star of David motif. But with names such as
Ben, Max, Tinker, Mindy, Pussy — “a good friend for
nearly 20 vears” — on head stones and plaques, most of the pets buried are eats and
dogs. There’s Tuppence Baker
“my faithful pal, aged 23 years”. There’s one animal
lover with 21 of her pets buried. Another with about seven graves dedicated to “friends” who have died. Pets come from far and
inson, who used to make his living on the steep hillside where the burial ground
wide to be buried or cre mated, including the occa sional one from abroad; sent over in a body-bag.
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says: “It’s a very peaceful and restful graveyard. We don’t think it’s a bit creepy and neither does anyone
else. “Some people have been
coming here to visit graves for 15 years. Some visit regular ly — like every
Sunday. “To the people who come
here, it is very serious. After a burial or cremation, they often keep in touch for months.” With their three full-time
staff, the Annables try to provide as much help as they can to upset animal lovers. To help owners cope with
the loss of their pet, there is a lovely chapel of rest
where they can go and a tea room where they can sit and
talk. Owners can pay a grave
maintenance fee annually and this is probably why the cemetery — facing the sun for most of the day — looks such a lovely place. Especially in summer,
when the trees are in full blossom and leaf and the bedding plants put in by the Annables and their staff are
blooming. Work is always ongoing
— keeping grounds in order, planting and garden ing. A beautiful statue of St F ran cis of A s s is i su r rounded by a pond is near ing completion. A further eight or so acres of hillside land can be used to extend if
needed. The Annables took over
the cemetery two-and-a-half years ago, and live “next- door” in the farmhouse that belongs to Sunnybank Ken nels, animal sanctuary and cattery which they also run, taking it over six years ago. The four part-time staff who work there help at the cemetery at busy times. While spending a lot of
~ a s ?
The Annables with the statue of St Francis, patron saint of animals
be “tagged” with a request for a simple cremation, plus ownership address and
details. Then, afterwards, the
owners are sent a certifi
cate of cremation. The Annables, whose
elder daughter, Emma, 18, runs the cattery at Sunny bank, try to offer as much choice as possible to pet lovers: private cremations can be arranged and a plaque set on the Wall of Remembrance — a choice taken up by many. Ashes can also be buried in the
grounds. “I f they think of some
thing new, and if it fits in with the general scheme, then that’s what we’ll try to do,” said Maggie. She
and Geoff, 51, moved to Lancashire from Belpcr, near the Peak District,
when they took over the kennels and animal sanc tu a ry . T h e ir y o u n ge r daughter, Charlotte, seven, goes to the local primary
school. Burials obviously cost a
lot more than cremations. Staff prepare the grave — using a JCB for bigger ani mals. Pets are placed in silk-lined coffins, with sil ver engraved plaques. D
*• «**i:*^ & C 1
Mr Annable tends the 24 graves which mark the last resting pl;ace of just one woman’s pets
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t p - ^ A '”' ' ^ " isa
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our door little girl _ Thank you
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Simpsom - .Tljirnlpy £ r
Expert Picture Frame Service for 112 years Framing Your
DYSONS ARTS LIMITED
time helping pet owners — the chapel of rest and other rooms have letters and pic tures which show their grat itude — the Annables also
deal with around 500 ani mals a week from vet sur geries as widespread as Derbyshire, Stockport, Yorkshire, Sowerby Bridge as well as more locally. These pets, which have
The crematorium and wall of remembrance
had to be “put down”, can . 1 i < ■- 1 t 4 < . . \ t « .* * \ f , * 1
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