An urn containing cremated remains, labelled 'Gary Bonsor' with messages reading 'RIP GARY BONSOR' and 'MY DAD MY HERO', was left on a burger van counter at Newbury racecourse on 24 July 2024. Despite extensive inquiries by the racecourse and Thames Valley police, no next of kin have been identified.
Investigation fails to trace family
The racecourse checked all tickets issued that day for the surname Bonsor and wrote to all ticket-holders, but received no response. A member of staff then took the urn to Newbury police station. Police conducted their own searches and contacted local crematoriums, who were unable to provide information.
According to a document from the consistory court of the Diocese of Oxford, 'the police attempted to trace the next of kin and although they thought they knew the family, said family denied any link to the urn.'
Church steps in
In September 2024, the urn was passed to a churchwarden from St Mary's, Greenham, a Grade II* listed church near the racecourse. The parochial church council unanimously agreed to bury the ashes in the churchyard. However, the vicar, the Rev Gail Minter, determined she could not legally do so without a faculty from the consistory court of the Diocese of Oxford.
In her petition to the court, Minter wrote: 'The church is well used, well kept and is full of the graves of local people, many of whom did not profess a Christian faith or come to church. So we feel that although we cannot know the wishes of the deceased or the family, it would not be inappropriate to bury the remains in the parish churchyard.'
Court grants permission for burial
David R Hodge KC, worshipful chancellor of the court, granted permission on 21 June for the burial to take place within four weeks. The grave will be unmarked, though its location will be noted. The Diocese of Oxford stated: 'The dignity and the privacy of the deceased have been the principal factors in all decisions taken in this case.'
Newbury racecourse and Thames Valley police were contacted for comment but did not respond.
