The Covid-19 pandemic has increased demand for memorial benches, with a council suggesting shared seats to meet demand.

Tenterden Town Council already maintains 95 such seats but has received requests for up to seven more in recent months.

After consultation with Kent County Council, there are no more places available on the high street itself for benches.

Having looked into placing more in the Recreation Ground, it was found it could take up to a year to achieve.

A solution was presented to the council on Monday with three of the "more tired-looking" existing benches set to be replaced this year at a cost of £350 each.

In each case, this would involve transferring the original plaque to a new bench and allowing two additional plaques honouring the recently deceased to be added.

These replacement benches would come with restrictions, however, to ensure as many people as possible could honour their loved ones.

In summarising the idea, deputy town clerk Claire Gilbert said: "The original plaque would need to be transferred to the new bench, but it could be stipulated that any further plaques added must be paid for by the resident and is only for a maximum period of 10 years.

"This date restriction would be similar to that of some other towns as it then gives others the opportunity to eventually add a plaque.

"For the new benches, a restriction to the placing of flowers next to the bench should be reduced to once per year to allow for three sets to be placed at different times."

She also highlighted that replacing them and having them shared could cut down on the "extremely time consuming" process of maintaining the benches.

She notes that it "can only really be carried out in the winter" and that currently "the maintenance team can only strip down and re-stain up to six per year."

There are many ways to remember a loved one, with memorial benches being the most common.

A rising trend is that of memorial trees, often planted near to a place special to the deceased.

Alternatively, charity Life For a Life offers planting sites in 50 woodland areas throughout the country.

Jewellery is also a popular way to memorialise someone, with an ever-increasing industry in making items using the ashes of the lost loved one.

One company, Lonité, has a service where hair or ashes can be transformed into a diamond, promising a 5000 minutes-long "manual carbon purification" process.

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