Westlea Cemetery in Bedlington to get Queen Elizabeth II memorial and remembrance garden refurbishment

£27,000 from the council’s parks enhancement budget was allocated to the project at a cabinet meeting last week, on top of £16,500 from ward councillor Malcolm Robinson’s fund for local improvements.

Cllr Robinson said: “It was an area identified by the community. I would not say they were ashamed of it, but they certainly wanted to see it improved.

“It is actually bigger than what I anticipated but I have backed it financially so we will get the whole area cleared up.”

The independent councillor began campaigning for the project after none of the locations for the council’s official memorials were in Bedlington.

He said: “It is the fourth largest market town in the county and they had not even got a QEII Memorial proposed.”

The proposals soon grew into a broader renovation of the memorial garden.

Cllr Robinson said: “I had the hedges cut down because it was basically a drug den, and it opened the space up so you could see the blank canvas.”

The garden will get a new archway entrance and new seats featuring the late monarch’s emblem. The path behind the garden will also be renovated.

Volunteer group Friends of Westlea Cemetery was recently set up to help with improvements to the cemetery, such as helping the council’s cemetery team with planting, and has converted a derelict building at the site into a base.

Cllr Robinson said: “What we are going to end with is, in my view, without a shadow of a doubt the best QEII memorial in the county.”

Speaking at the cabinet meeting where the funding was approved, council leader Glen Sanderson said: “The Queen Elizabth II memorial garden project will act as a very fitting memorial to the late queen.

“I think it is a really splendid memorial and something that will be enjoyed by the people in Bedlington, and I would say well done to the councillor for working on this and actually getting this to where we are today.”