Members of the public wishing to attend the Annual Blessing of the Graves at the City Cemetery scheduled to take place at 3pm on Sunday 30 June, are advised that 130 car parking spaces will be made available for Blue Badge holders within the Cemetery.
The places will be allocated on a first come first served basis to current Blue Badge holders and can be booked at: www.derrystrabane.com/cemeterysunday
When booking online for the City Cemetery spaces users are advised that they must provide a Name, Mobile number,
Vehicle Registration Number, Blue Badge Number and email address – any submissions without this information will be considered invalid.
The people using these spaces can access them via the Lonemoor Road entrance and they are to arrive before 2pm as the gates will close promptly at this time.
The City Cemetery will be closed to the general public on Sunday, 30 June, except for burials and for those who have a parking space booked.
Those who secure a space must be in place by 2pm, as there will be no access for vehicles after this time. Parking spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis and it will not be possible to reserve a space in a particular area.
Please keep in mind that you may still have to walk some distance to reach family graves and make provision for this.
Once on site, vehicles will remain there until the crowds have dispersed which, it’s estimated, will be approximately 30 minutes after the service finishes.
Access to the cemetery for vehicles will be from the lower gate of the Cemetery at the Lone Moor Road.
Other car parking is being made available and again are for blue badge holders at St Mary’s Church, Creggan, St Cecilia’s College and Celtic Park.
There is no prior booking to these sites, access will only be given to vehicles that display a current Disability Blue Badge Permit on arrival and these too will be filled on a first come basis first served basis.
Please note that those unable to attend or who has accessibility issues, the Service will also be live streamed and can be viewed from home.
In a joint statement from the Council, as owners of the Cemetery, and the Church, as event organisers, it was outlined that it was necessary to adhere to measures to keep everyone safe.
“With thousands of people expected to attend the Blessing of the Graves event, safety is the number one priority when visiting the City Cemetery.
“To ensure the event runs safely and smoothly, it is important that safety measures are in place to keep vehicular access to a minimum and always keep pedestrians safe.
“Several other measures will be in place to keep pedestrians safe on the day and we would appeal to people to always adhere to the advice of stewards and cemetery staff on duty.
“Visitors parking outside the cemetery, please park in appropriate areas and be considerate of people living in the area.
“Do not block roadways, footpaths, or gateways when parking.
“This is an important time of prayer for families who are remembering loved ones, and we ask that everyone is respectful and mindful of other visitors during the service. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in delivering this event.”
There will be no vehicle access to the cemetery from 12pm to facilitate preparations for the service.
Access will only be given to those who have registered with gates remaining open until 2pm.
Anyone who wishes to book a space within the cemetery can do so online at [email protected]
You can view the livestream of the Blessing of the Graves as follows: https://youtube.com/live/9ZS-utqxlfQ?feature=share
For any information in relation to the Blessing of the Graves service please contact the Derry Diocesan Offices at Tel: 02871 262 302
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