I was pleasently suprised to find the book of remembrance online. It is so nice to see my Sisters and Nans captions and not have to wait a whole year to do so. What a great idea !! Thank you Lisa

Yesterday afternoon I had a wonderful experience watching The Show Of Strength theatre company bringing to life the history of Bedminster by performing at certain important places in Bedminster streets.The actors took the parts of the famous people involved (charlie Stephens who went over Niagra falls in a barrel,The governor of Bristol gaol,princess caraboo,and many more.)I think it would be a wonderful idea to do the same with some of the important graves at arnos vale,as I have said before it really brings history to life ,and I dont think it would be perceived as irreverent.

Congratulations on getting the new website together. It's really interesting, and it's great to read about all the progress that's been made. Here's hoping that the site will help many more people to discover what a very special place Arnos Vale is.

When is something going to be done about all the dogs that are allowed to run free and urinate and defecate in the paths and on the graves? All dogs are now banned from all Torbay's Cemeteries and Crematoriums after a number of similar incidents. Community councillor Louisa Aiton said "We are extremely disappointed that there are still some people who continue to allow their dogs to foul cemetery and crematorium grounds. By doing so, they show a complete lack of respect for people who have been laid to rest there." Alex Frost, manager of the Bay service, said she has become increasingly troubled with the situation, and added "We have all been appalled by the behaviour of some dog owners who have used the cemeteries like a public park to exercise their dogs. They are often allowed them to run freely and people have failed to clean up the mess left behind. This causes huge distress as well as being a hazard to public health. Efforts to encourage owners to keep their pets on a lead have met with little success and some dump bags of mess at the cemetery gates even though the dog bins are sited nearby. The vast majority of dog walkers have no connection with the cemeteries at all and should simply use public parks and other areas. One woman let her dog run wild across memorials and refused to put the dog back on the lead or to clean up the mess. It is so difficult to understand why people show such little respect for a cemetery and we are not prepared to tolerate these abuses anymore." The ban will be enforced from the beginning of April and breaking it could lead to prosecution. It's high time this was implemented at Arnos Vale.

The idea of a public place dedicated to the memories of those (and those alone) who were buried there is an outdated concept, slightly fundamentailst and frankly was lost when the cemetery fell into disrepair some years ago. The woodland that grew up is now all but gone - tidied back according to someone's plan - but at least the grounds are there for all to enjoy. This includes dogwalkers. Would you catch the badgers and ban them too because they foul on tombs? Or, would you be horrified to find out that they use a series of graves as a sett? It's just this sort of narrow-minded viewpoint that fails to recognise that Arnos Vale Cemetary is a wooded area. Yes, it is a working cemetary but the surrounding woodland is for everybody and their pets.

There are numerous cemeteries in and around Bristol, many 1000’s in England, and countless numbers in the World. A place dedicated to the memories of loved ones is most certainly not an outdated concept. Arnos Vale Cemetery is visited by hundreds of people every day to pay respect to their dearly departed, and searches are performed constantly to allow people find their lost relatives and ancestors. It is unfortunate that the previous owner of the cemetery allowed it to become so very overgrown, but this does not detract from the fact the Arnos Vale Cemetery is, and always has been, a working cemetery, protected by numerous laws, rules, and regulations. Most people are aware of the scale and diversity of wildlife within the cemetery, and that at least one family of badgers is using a series of graves as a set. Wildlife, as the name suggests, forms naturally, and behaves as nature intended, and some of that wildlife is protected by law. Domesticated canines are not wildlife. For a dog owner to take their animal to a cemetery and allow it to run around and empty itself on the resting places of the deceased is irresponsible and disrespectful. For a dog owner to somehow believe that this behaviour is acceptable, just because the previous cemetery owner neglected his responsibilities, is irrational, arrogant, and very narrow-minded. This behaviour is no more acceptable than for me to run around your home and empty myself in your front room. Arnos Vale Cemetery is a wonderful place and is there to be enjoyed and used by everyone, but it has to be used responsibly. It is not a toilet for your pet. There are many places in and around Bristol to take your dog. Be a responsible dog owner and take your dog there, and not to a cemetery.

Antagonist, oh my! What makes you think an anonymous forum allows you to be a keyboard hero? Irrational, arrogant, narrow-minded? Touche. It seems we have two views and should live happily getting over the opposing view. I do find your comments acerbic and welded to the past however; your assumption that dog-owners are irresponsible is amusing at best. But I'll get over it. Will you? The point is this; it's a place for all to enjoy, not just grieving relatives, not just badgers and not just dog-owners. Your belief that it's somehow disrespectful for domesticated animals to wander over the remains of the dead is a little dated, but we can't disprove the existence of God as easily as we can harbour old fashioned views, can we? All the best :)