Grieving mother given headstones

Kathleen Lehane has two of her children buried at the cemetery in Whitwick.

A woman who was told she could not put wooden crosses on her children's graves is having new stone memorials put in their place.

Kathleen Lehane, from Thringstone, Leicestershire, made the crosses because she could not afford headstones.

Council officials ordered her to remove them because they contravened a by-law.

But Leicester stonemason Steven Dobson agreed to create two headstones for Mrs Lehane and put them in place on Wednesday.

Now I can put my children to rest

Kathleen Lehane

"I saw the report on East Midlands Today and I felt sorry for Mrs Lehane not being able to afford memorials for her children.

"Because she has got temporary crosses on the grave, and the council was threatening to move them, I thought it would be a good idea to offer her two new memorials for her son and daughter."

Two of Kathleen Lehane's children - Gerald, 25, and Maria, 8 - died from cystic fibrosis and are buried at the cemetery at Whitwick.

Reconsidering by-law

Mrs Lehane said: ""Now I can put my children to rest.

"It's lovely to be able to come up here and see the headstones - they are beautiful.

"It does make me really happy to see this, I've waited a long time for it.

"Now my dream has come true, thanks to Steve Dobson."

In January, North West Leicestershire District Council told Mrs Lehane the wooden crosses broke a by-law which states all memorials should be made of stone, marble, slate or granite.

The council has since said it will reconsider the by-law.