UK : East : Colchester - don't rave on the grave!

[General Lighting]

I don't know colchester all that well but would have thought there would be better places to chill out in Summer?

A council is to target disrespectful behaviour at a cemetery after complaints of parties, drinking and people wearing inappropriate clothing.


"Distressed mourners" contacted Colchester Borough Council during a review of rules at the Mersea Road cemetery in Essex.


Many of the 118 respondents complained about ball games and people overheard speaking of sexual conquests.

The council's cabinet is due to agree to new rules at a meeting later

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Essex | Fury at unruly cemetery behaviour

[1984]

Essex always sounds so lovely

[General Lighting]

To be fair Essex is not that bad and there are some nice places and well run local businesses.

Not much of a party scene any more (used to be buzzing) but there was a massive backlash from feds / god squad / older generation because people overdid the drugs.

Looking more deeply into this (including checking the satellite map) shows a bleaker picture - there is no rational reason for the youths to be deliberately causing "trouble" in the cemetry as its a fair distance outside the town and you'd go past a big recreation ground and loads of other places to get there.

Also the article refers to (presumably older) people complaining about the "tackiness" of memorial decorations.

I suspect what is happening is at least some of the young folk are genuinely there to pay respect to people they knew - the reality of today being many have lost friends through RTC's, overdoses, violence. Also amongst girls these days a significant number miscarry their first child (its happened to a lot of raver girls I know as they often fall pregnant unplanned whilst still leading a fairly unhealthy lifestyle - and even though many change very quickly not all of them are lucky enough to reverse the bad effects the lifestyle can have). The lives of other small children of young families are claimed by accidents or illness and many understandably have a memorial set up for their lost baby. its often young mums and dads what put the "tacky" things on the memorials, stuff like childrens toys and representations of film/cartoon characters and other bright coloured things kids like. IMO if they are tacky then blame the US-dominated childrens media, not bereaved parents!

Plus there is a massive division in this region between god squad and hedonists so I suspect you've got a lot of young people who are going to the cemetery but having rejected religion and its moral codes genuinely don't know what appropriate behaviour is... maybe they're "partying" in the cemetery to be with their lost friends?

I hope the community there do come to some compromise.