Crowds at nun's grave leave family 'no privacy to grieve'

Crowds at the grave of a nun, who has taken the first step towards sainthood, have left a family with "no privacy to grieve", a man has said.

Jason Campbell, whose father is buried next to Sister Clare Crockett at the City Cemetery in Londonderry, said those visiting have been walking over his father's plot and had even asked him to take photographs of them.

Last month, Sr Crockett's sister, Shauna Gill, appealed to people to be respectful when visiting her sister's grave and the cemetery.

Derry City and Strabane District Council, which owns the cemetery, said it is aware of this "very sensitive issue" and is working with all the families involved.

The council said they have identified several measures, including additional paths and railings, that could mitigate some of the impacts currently being experienced by neighbouring graves.

A budget has been identified, and the works are currently out to tender, the spokesperson added.

Mr Campbell's father, James "Jimmy" Campbell, was a well-known figure in the city as a showband singer and died in 2016 at the age of 80.

Jason Campbell said he met with council officials this week to discuss the plans, but he feels his family should be able to grieve peacefully and in private.

"Sister Clare becoming a saint is great for the city - she gives a lot of people hope," he told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.

"But what is happening is that we have an influx of people, and it is really impacting the other graves.

"Over the years, we have had to put up a surrounding fence and a sign asking people not to walk on the grave.

"I go to the grave to spend time with my father, not strangers," he said.

Sr Crockett, from Brandywell in Derry, was previously an actor but turned down the chance to present on children's TV channel Nickelodeon to become a nun.

Friends were said to be in disbelief after she announced her decision while holding a "beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other".

She then took a vow with the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother order.

Sr Clare, 33, died after the school she was teaching music at in Playa Prieta, Ecuador, collapsed during a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in April 2016.

The earthquake killed at least 480 people, injured more than 4,000 and left 231 missing.

In November, Sr Clare was declared a Servant of God by the Catholic Church - the first step towards being canonised.

Mr Campbell said he had a meeting with council officials on Wednesday about plans to improve access to Sr Crockett's grave.

"I received a letter from the council informing my family they are potentially going to open the area to the back of my father's headstone so more people can come in.

"This is a private cemetery. On an average day, you have numerous cars pulling up, groups walking across graves, taking selfies. All while I'm praying to my dad.

"It's got too much now. It's hard enough dealing with grief, but now we have to deal with this.

"We feel we have been left to our own devices by the council and that we have no say," he said.

Mr Campbell appealed to local representatives to visit the graves for themselves to see first-hand what families are experiencing.