Barney the cat 'comforts' cemetery visitors
BARNEY the 20-year-old cemetery cat has been comforting mourners over the Christmas period, according to the current sexton of St Sampson's cemetery.
Alan Curzon, 62, said Barney gave 'pleasure to so many people who visit all year round', but that at Christmas time he makes things 'slightly more bearable'.
'His owners used to live next door to the cemetery,' explained Mr Curzon.
'However, after they moved elsewhere he kept finding his way back to his former stomping ground and eventually settled in the cemetery on a permanent basis.
'He is a much loved and very adorable cat. For those who enter the cemetery with a heavy heart, he lightens the experience for them. When people walk through the gates, he often comes up to them and brushes against them. There is not a bad bone in his body.'
