Can you solve this mystery?

A group carrying out maintenance work at the plots off Balcarres Avenue in Whelley came across what appears to be a grave marked out with stones and a metal plaque with a touching inscription saying: “Precious Memories of A Much Loved Sister”.

Plot holder Keith Moss, who is leading the effort to spruce up the allotments, made the moving and sad discovery while strimming a patch of extremely long grass.

Work in that area completely stopped and now efforts are under way to find out exactly what is there, with long-term plotholders left stumped by the mysterious find.

Mr Moss said: “My strimmer head hit this stone and on further investigation it was about two or three feet across and six feet long. We also came across the plaque and a little bunch of white plastic flowers.

“It definitely looks like a grave. If somebody was burying ashes there they wouldn’t make a plot that big. It’s all marked out with these stones and they are not house bricks or anything like that, somebody has gone to some trouble.

“The chap working with me raking up the grass has had allotments on there for more than 20 years and he can’t recollect it ever being a cemetery or anybody burying a body or ashes there. It’s weird.”

Wigan Council’s bereavement service has looked into the matter and confirmed there is no record of a grave there and permission for burying ashes on the allotments has never been given.

Coun Lawrence Hunt has contacted Greater Manchester Police (GMP) who advised him it was initially a matter for the town hall but at some point the grave could be excavated.

His fellow Wigan Central ward representative Coun Michael McLoughlin said it would be a very sad story if it turned out to be an actual grave.

He said: “My hope is that this is the work of a sibling who just wanted a peaceful place fit for contemplation. Although I imagine it was a brother, perhaps that’s because I’m a man. It obviously can’t be ruled out that it could all have been fashioned by a sister.

“I hope it turns out that the grave was all about love and nothing else.”

The two ward councillors have been backing Mr Moss in his attempts to get the allotments cleaned up, with Wigan Council also chipping in by donating skips to get rid off the large piles of rubble and weeds the volunteers have cleared from the area.

Mr Moss says he has ambitious plans to get a community asset transfer so local people can run the facility themselves.

He said: “It’s a big project but once we’ve cleaned up the allotments we will probably be looking at eight or nine individual plots.

“I’m trying to create ones for the local schools to get involved and some for the community. That’s my intention and the interest I’ve had so far has been very good.”

This idea has been given warm approval by the local authority.

Penny McGinty, Wigan Council’s assistant director for corporate contracts and assets, said: “The council has been supporting the Balcarres Avenue allotment tenants for several weeks as they clear up the allotments.

“Community asset transfer is part of The Deal, where the council and everyone who lives or works here works together to create a better borough.

“We want to work imaginatively with local communities to look at alternative and innovative ways of providing some of our community based services.

“We would welcome a community asset transfer application from community groups and we look forward to seeing their ideas.“