Willy Collins: Sheffield council accused of ‘double standards’ over removal of tributes at remembrance garden

The removal of ‘unofficial’ memorials at a Sheffield remembrance garden this week has prompted claims by the public of the council having ‘double standards’ - with reference to one grave in particular.

Visitors of Hutcliffe Wood Gardens of Remembrance had until Monday April 8 to collect any ‘unofficial’ memorials as Sheffield City Council made changes to ‘enhance the look of the area’.

One woman, Kim Cave, said she was upset by the plans as she and her family had spent a number of years tending to a neat plant pot with seasonal flowers in beside their memorial bench.

Notices were placed at the site by the council in the week commencing March 4 to coincide with an increase in visitors on Mother’s Day and the Easter break. However when The Star visited on Tuesday morning (April 9), a number of ‘unofficial’ tributes remained in place.

While the council said these would be removed and stored for a period of time for collection, several members of the public had something to say about it on The Star’s Facebook page.

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Judi Hodder said: “Yet the council are ok having that 37 ton monstrosity of Willy Collins, unbelievable.”

Wendy Bramhall wrote: “They've no right to throw people's tributes away when they've let that huge monstrosity stay.”

Helen Whitehouse said: “Somebody needs to challenge the council about double standards!”

For those in the dark, Willy Collins’ memorial, at Shiregreen Cemetery, is a 37-ton structure that was erected in March 2022. It is estimated to have cost £200,000, and crafted using solid Carrara marble from Italy.

The unveiling of the memorial, which is a tribute to Willy Collins, dubbed the traveller ‘King of Sheffield’, who died on holiday aged 49 in 2020, triggered a long-standing row between the family and the council, and has split opinion across the city.

It was said to have breached guidelines for the size of graves, and today (April 12) the council has stated it was built without permission - though the Collins family have always insisted permission was granted.

The authority has stated it is still trying to ‘resolve’ this issue two years on.

‘Rules must be in place’

Responding to the comments made about the council’s ‘double standards’, the authority has stated that it understands memorials are ‘deeply personal’, however rules must be in place to ensure fairness.

It added that these rules apply to all cemeteries across Sheffield, and the rules in each cemetery are the same. But the gardens of remembrance are different to cemeteries, and therefore have different rules. As there are no burials, no-one owns a grave plot to erect a headstone and therefore the gardens are a place of remembrance for everyone.