For anyone needing support, help or advice following a bereavement, the following contacts may be of help:
Cruse Bereavement Support – Thames Valley Tel: 01344 411919 or National Helpline 0808 808 1677
Provides counselling/visiting service and support for people who have been bereaved.
The Compassionate Friends – Tel: 03451232304
Provides support to bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents who have suffered the death of a child.
Sands – Tel: 0808 164 3332
The Sands National Helpline provides a safe, confidential place for anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby.
Samaritans – Tel: 116 123
National helpline for people in times of need.
Earley Town Council owns and manages Mays Lane Cemetery. It is situated at the bottom of Mays Lane, off the Wokingham Road in Earley. Post code is RG6 7DG
The older part of the burial ground was formerly owned by St Peters Church, but the land was transferred to the Town Council many years ago. The older section is retained in its previous state although the Council has improved parts of the area by the provision of entrance gates to reduce the possibility of vandalism, and to provide a tarmac road.
The gates are generally opened around dawn and closed at dusk. An indication of the closing times are:
November – March: 5.00pm
April, September and October: 7.30pm
May – August: 8.30pm
Fees and Charges from 1st April 2024
The newer section of the Cemetery is managed as a lawn cemetery. There are rules which govern the type of headstone and height. Ornaments are not permitted on the site after the area has been turfed. Most of the area is consecrated, but a small section has been left as unconsecrated, and an area is reserved as a Muslim burial area, solely for Earley residents due to the limited number of plots available.
There is a Memorial Garden where a number of plaques are placed and is a peaceful quiet area to sit.
Rows containing recent burials are seeded as soon as weather permits, usually after the end of April each year.
Rules and Regulations governing the Cemetery are available from the Town Council Offices.
There is also a small children’s area, which is again a very peaceful section
