Gurkhas get burial ground in Kent

KATHMANDU, July 22: A burial ground thought to be the first in the UK set aside for the Gurkha community has been opened in Kent, the BBC reported on Tuesday. Ashford Borough Council designated a section of Bybrook Cemetery following a request from local Gurkha families.



Kent has a large Gurkha community, with the British Army´s Royal Gurkha Regiment´s UK base at Sir John Moore Barracks in Shorncliffe, Folkestone.



About 70 people attended the official opening, as a lone piper led a procession through the cemetery.



The Gurkha community is made up of many faiths and its leaders wanted people to be buried together instead of by religion.



The first burial at the site took place in January.



"Ashford Borough Council sees this as a way of acknowledging the great contribution Gurkhas have made to this country and the sacrifices they have made, and continue to make for us all," said Councilor Neil Bell.



Gurkha soldiers are recruited in Nepal. In May, all Gurkha veterans won the right to settle in the UK after a high-profile campaign led by actress Joanna Lumley.



Last month Lumley joined thousands of people to celebrate the Gurkhas being given the freedom of Folkestone.

Related story

Kent Superb Smart RO water purifier launched