Mum left devastated as cemetery digs grave in improper spot on day of son’s burial
Lisa Goldsmith had attended her son Toby Foster’s inquest before heading to Willesborough Cemetery in Ashford, Kent, but was left heartbroken when she found the grave had been dug in the wrong location
He was due to be placed next to his cousin Tyrese Goldsmith – who was killed in a crash aged 18 in 2021.(Image: Cover Images)
A heartbroken mum has revealed how she arrived to bury her son only to discover his grave had been dug in completely the wrong spot. Lisa Goldsmith had been to her son Toby Foster’s inquest that very morning before making her way to Willesborough Cemetery in Ashford, Kent.
Toby, who passed away aged 29 in Herne Bay last year, was meant to be laid to rest alongside his cousin Tyrese Goldsmith, who tragically died in a car accident aged 18 in 2021.
But Ms Goldsmith and her family were devastated to discover the freshly-dug grave wasn’t where it should have been.
The 50 year old said the blunder “ruined the day”, leaving every family member there “heartbroken”.
“We’re gutted – I had all my flowers in the car ready to lay my son to rest and then this has happened,” she said. “I just wanted to walk away; everything was getting too much. I couldn’t though because he needed to go in his forever bed.”
Ms Goldsmith revealed she had deliberately bought a bigger plot so Toby could rest beside his cousin – shelling out more than £500. She had also arranged to bury her father, Alan Goldsmith, the grandfather of both lads, but his plot was also in the wrong location.
Ms Goldsmith says she wanted everything done that same afternoon so “all three of the men in her life were together”.
“I’ve had my dad at home since he passed in 2016 and I just thought it’d be nice for my dad to go with his two grandsons,” she added.
“They were both in the wrong plot – everything was ruined.”
She claims Ashford Borough Council, which runs the cemet The family was left feeling ignored when their initial concerns fell on “unresponsive” ears, leading to a four-hour delay while the gravediggers prepared the correct plots.
However, a council spokesperson responded: “As soon as this was brought to our attention, we reviewed the situation and quickly agreed with the family on a new location.
“Our team immediately prepared that grave, and the burial went ahead as the family wished. We fully understand how upsetting this situation was, particularly on such an emotional day, and we are sorry for any distress caused.”
Toby passed away in April, with his funeral taking place on 6 June. His family chose to keep his ashes until after the inquest before arranging a burial, hoping to find some positivity on a difficult day.
“I wanted to make a bad day into a good day, but it actually turned out horrendous,” Ms Goldsmith expressed. “I had all these dates in my head to remember, the date he died, the funeral, the autopsy, so I thought it would be best to combine the inquest and burial.”
A map indicates that the plot purchased by Ms Goldsmith was directly adjacent to the existing grave. However, the family claims that the maps they used when buying the plots differed from those given to the gravediggers.
Ms Goldsmith alleges that workers told her they had been instructed to dig where they did, resulting in Toby’s grave being distanced from Tyrese’s headstone.
Also present at the burial was Tyrese’s mum, Denise Goldsmith. The 51 year old labelled the mistake as “unforgivable”.
“All of us have come down here to bury Toby next to his cousin; we’ve taken days off work and come this far for disappointment,”We’ve come down here to bury Toby next to his cousin; we’ve taken days off work and come this far for disappointment,” she said.
Family members, including Toby’s nan, aunt and cousin, also travelled from Thanet to attend the burial on Wednesday afternoon. They were able to lay flowers once the correct plot was prepared.
Tyrese was killed in a crash outside the New Fox Inn in Willesborough, Ashford. The teenager was riding his moped when it collided with a Honda Civic.
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