Could QR codes replace headstones in Borders' cemeteries?
Last updated 3rd Apr 2023
Could QR codes replace headstones in our cemeteries?
The idea's being suggested by Borders councillor Caroline Cochrane after the local council was criticised for laying flat dozens it felt were unsafe.
She says the scheme, which could also save space, is already being trialled in other countries.
"It's something we've all got to face at some point, and it's made me think about what I would like for my memorial," she told Greatest Hits Radio.
"There is dwindling space, and we are going to have to look to adapt because we are running out of land."
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The idea is anyone visiting a cemetery can scan the QR code with a smart phone, and it would take them to an online memorial page, where loved ones can find all the information normally contained on a headstone and leave messages.
"Like a book of condolence on the web," Councillor Cochrane said.
It would allow for smaller, sturdier headstones - or none at all. QR codes - which are like a barcode - could also be placed on other objects, without the need for a headstone.
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"It's horrible to see when headstones are put down flat," the Selkirkshire councillor said, "so it's maybe looking at something that's a bit more elevated rather than up at 90 degrees.
"It's something we've all got to face at some point, and it's made me think about what I would like for my memorial.
"Things have moved on, and it's just to get people to think about the design of their memorial for their loved one."
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A review is to be carried out by Scottish Borders Council to inform changes to the way headstones in local cemeteries are made safe when they are found to be at risk of falling or being pushed over.
A trial pilot study within Lennel Cemetery near Coldstream will see the re-erection of 81 headstones which were laid flat as part of the local authority's ongoing headstone safety programme.
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Rev Rosie Frew, the minister for Bowden and Melrose, isn't ruling out the wider use of QR codes in the region's cemeteries.
But she doesn't see them replacing headstones - at least for the time being.
She told us: "Going forward, I don't see why it can't be an addition - a link to photos or information, perhaps even a link to the eulogy. However, I don't think it's one that's going to take off anytime soon, or particularly quickly."
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