A MOTHER has been told colourful decorations on her unborn daughter’s grave will be allowed for the time being, after more than 7,000 people signed a petition backing her.

Jade Beadle, 24, and Sanbeep Bidla, 29, buried their daughter Tanya in Kidlington Cemetery after she died at 39 weeks in August.

The grieving couple decorated the grave with a small fence, pink gravel and decorative mementoes. As revealed in the Oxford Mail, the parents were told by Kidlington Parish Council the decorations broke rules and would have to be removed by the end of January.

Since the couple’s appeal in the paper, 5,000 people have added their signatures to an e-petition set up by the couple’s friend Charlotte Nichols, which had already been signed by 2,080. And the council has now confirmed it will allow the decorations to stay while it reviews its cemetery policies.

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Reacting to the news, Miss Beadle said: “It’s like a massive weight has been lifted. I have been worrying at work about receiving a phone call about it, or going down there one day and finding they had been taken away.”

The council revealed it was no longer seeking to remove the decorations during a meeting with Miss Beadle’s grandparents.

Brian and Mary Lovick, who live in Long Hanborough, wrote to the authority to express concern about the impact the issue was having on Miss Beadle.

On Thursday, they met with a small number of parish councillors, among them chairman David Betts.

Mrs Lovick, 68, said: “Given the circumstances in which Jade lost Tanya, we thought it was very sad that she has had to go through all this. The councillors were very good when we met them and listened to everything we had to say.”

She added a policy should be made for children’s graves: “We all lose people but normally it is someone who has had the chance to live. When parents lose little ones they might want to put things at the grave that are similar to what they would give them if they were alive.”

Kidlington Parish Council chairman David Betts said: “The purpose of the meeting was to make some progress and that is what we are trying to do. We are now reviewing all our policies on this.”

He declined to comment on whether Miss Beadle’s decorations could still be removed, but said: “At the present time, we do not intend to take any action.”

The council’s policy states no items such as pot plants, toys, statues or solar lights are permitted on graves. Floral tributes are allowed, but only immediately after the funeral. But in November a petition calling for parents to be allowed to decorate graves was started by the couple’s friend Charlotte Nichols on change.org.

On January 22 it had just over 2,000 signatures but that rocketed to 5,000 within a week of the Oxford Mail’s report. Two weeks ago, it received its 7,000th signature.

Visit change.org/p/kidlington-parish-council-allow-grieving-parents-the-freedom-to-decorate-their-families-graves-as-they-see-fit