Vandalised grave restored for free by stonemason

A man whose family's grave was vandalised said it looks "absolutely superb" after a stonemason restored it for free.

Paul Ralph, 61, said the headstone - where his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents are all laid to rest at Hedon Road Cemetery in Hull - was "booted over" and ornaments smashed.

But after telling the BBC his story, James Coles, director of Bespoke Memorials, got in touch with Mr Ralph and offered to repair the grave.

Mr Ralph said: "It's mended and it's looking brilliant. Absolutely superb. It's better than how it looked, that's how good it is."

Mr Ralph said it was "a shock" to see the headstone - crafted by his late father, a stonemason - damaged.

"He made that for his mum and dad and his grandma and grandad and that made it a bit worse," he said.

"It upsets everybody to see something like this. It's bad enough losing your parents but then you go to pay respect and you see this, you see it happen, and it's terrible."

However, after Mr Ralph told the BBC his story, Mr Coles got in touch with him and offered to repair the damage for free.

Mr Coles said it was "heart-breaking" to see, adding that he was aware of graves being vandalised "quite regularly".

"We understand it can be very distressing and very expensive," he said.

"You can prepare for this if you know something is going to happen to a family member but when it's unexpected or vandalism like this, we know it can be lots of money."

Mr Coles added: "When we'd seen it and it was local, something just told me to step forward and help out."

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