A VICAR has blessed and opened an extension to a Hartley Wintney graveyard, meaning more people can be buried in their own village.

Canon Robin Ewbank performed the ceremony at St Mary’s Church, in Church Lane, on Sunday. The £90,000 project was funded by Hartley Wintney Parish Council, which is responsible for providing burial space in the village.

Councillor Dorothy Harvey, chairman of the parish council, told The Gazette: “It was to open the new area which everyone thought was wonderful.

“If we had not extended the graveyard, we would have run out of space by 2013. It was essential so we are very grateful that the landowner worked with us.”

The parish council started negotiations in 2009 with Church House Farm, buying just more than an acre of land on the south boundary of the current graveyard.

Landscaping work started in the summer last year and was completed in December. The new area will provide space for 960 interments, including those for cremated remains.

The work also included a garden of remembrance, where villagers can sit in quiet and plant a rose bush in memory of those who have died.

Cllr Harvey added: “St Mary’s Churchyard is well-loved by residents and has been for many generations.

“It is a tranquil site with fantastic, far-reaching views over the Hampshire and Surrey countryside and there was always a hope that a new site could be found in close proximity.”