What the £20,000 of improvements to Kirkcaldy Crematorium’s garden of remembrance will mean

The 58 flowerbeds will be replanted in phases over the autumn and winter, commemorative benches will be repainted and repaired and there will be new rails for existing commemorative plaques to be fixed to.

The work, carried out by Fife Council, will cost around £20,000. In preparation, existing herbaceous plants will be removed and the beds will be topped up with top soil. Most of the roses in the gardens have died off but any surviving bushes will be left in place and new planting will take place around them. The new plants are a mixture of specimen shrubs and low height plants which will give colour all year round.

Liz Murphy, bereavement services manager, explained: "The gardens of remembrance are a place of reflection and comfort for many people who've lost someone close to them. The replanting work we're carrying out will make sure that they continue to be a peaceful place for visitors to come when they need to.

"We'll carry the work out in phases and the gardens will remain open for visitors. We'll need to remove any unauthorised items, such as solar lights and other memorabilia, from the flower beds. I'd ask anyone who has left something to collect it before the work begins or to contact us so that they can arrange to collect it at another time.

"We're grateful for the help of local charity Men's Shed, who are helping us refurbish our commemorative benches alongside people participating in community payback"