Relative saddened by state of Sanday burial grounds

Brothers visiting the graves of their ancestors in Sanday have been left saddened by the state of two kirkyards.

Gates in poor condition and unkempt grass among the headstones has marred their most recent trip to the island, where they have many family connections.

This comes against the backdrop of reductions in the number of cuts burial grounds receive to try and save money from Orkney Islands Council’s (OIC) limited maintenance budget.

The number of cuts at one Sanday kirkyard have been reduced from eight to two per year as part of this process.

The maintenance done in previous years is “simply not viable” without significant extra funding, OIC has said.

“I regret that we have not been able to keep on top of this better,” North Isles councillor, and Sanday resident, Stephen Clackson told The Orcadian.

“An order has been raised at OIC for the gates to be fixed, and the community council is dealing with the grass cutting, so I hope the graveyards will soon be in an improved state as a mark of respect for our island dead.”

Each year, Edinburgh resident John Sinclair makes a trip to Sanday to see his parents’ headstone, and the resting places of many other relatives.

His father, Jim Sinclair, was from Neigarth and mother Mary was originally from Leith, but with Sanday connections in her family too.

In June, John was accompanied on a trip to Sanday by his brother Angus, now living in Australia.

But a visit to remember their loved ones was blemished by the condition of Lady Kirkyard and Cross Cemetery.

John, who spent 31 years working with the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, told The Orcadian he was “appalled by the state” of the two sites.

“Both of the gates are in a bad state and difficult to open,” he added.

“It took us about five minutes to gain entry to Lady and three for Cross. The grass is up to 18 inches.”

Angus said that his son Callum visited Sanday last year, and the Lady Kirkyard was in “a much better condition.”

“I was looking forward to my visit this year,” he added.

“What should have been a comforting visit to my parents’ and ancestors’ graves was somewhat saddened by the access and condition.”

He continued: “I would anticipate a more appropriate level of maintenance and respect to the past and present Orcadians wherever they journey to and from.”

The brothers’ experience in Sanday comes amid efforts by OIC’s roads and grounds team to balance its books.

In 2025/26 figures from the authority say it cost £120,000 to keep the grass maintained in the county’s graveyards.

In October last year, community councils were consulted on plans to reduce the number of cuts, or look at new approaches — like using livestock or robot mowers.

“Ground maintenance, particularly grass cutting, is a significant cost against a very limited maintenance budget,” an OIC report says.

Officials recommended that “inactive” burial grounds not be cut, and that those still in use would be cut less often.

But there wasn’t much support for this from community councils, leading OIC to come up with a compromise.

Inactive burial grounds are to see the biggest reductions in the council’s maintenance proposals. Lady Kirkyard, for example, will go from having eight cuts in 2025/26 to two this financial year.

Across all the burial grounds, the cuts would reduce from 418 per year to 312, saving OIC around £27,000.

The proposals will see five cemeteries still cut 12 times a year: St Magnus Cathedral, St Olaf’s Cemetery, Warebeth Cemetery, Firth Cemetery, and Stenness Cemetery.

A council report states: “The strength of feeling in the communities regarding this reduction in service is both recognised and shared by the team.

“However, without significant additional funding, the cost of maintaining grass at the previous level of service is simply not viable.”

Sanday Community Council told The Orcadian that they had “real difficulty” finding a contractor to undertake the maintenance work for a reasonable price. This delayed the awarding of this year’s tender.

A statement from the group added: “For clarity, kirkyard maintenance is ultimately the responsibility of Orkney Islands Council, under their Burial Grounds Management Plan, published in October 2025.

“That said, we do have a role to play in the supervision and oversight of works, and we must, and will, do better going forward.

“We’re currently in discussion with OIC and our contractor to get the current situation sorted as quickly as possible, and to make sure it isn’t repeated.

“We appreciate this being brought to our attention, and it’s a good opportunity to let people know that OIC’s burial grounds officer (burialgroundsofficer@orkney.gov.uk) is the best point of contact for any concerns about kirkyard maintenance.”

The newspaper approached Orkney Islands Council for comment.