The parents of a pupil who died while playing rounders at his school want to put up a headstone on his grave of his favourite cartoon character, Bart Simpson.
Charlie Morettes, eight, died due to sudden death syndrome in May last year.
His mum Allison and stepfather Tony Spalding, however, are being frustrated by opposition to putting up the 21in granite model of The Simpsons character in the graveyard at St John the Baptist Church, Sutton-at-Hone.
Mrs Spalding, 33, of Cedar Drive, Sutton-at-Hone, said: "It is what Charlie would have wanted. He was so full of life, like Bart Simpson, so it is a fitting memorial."
Permission to put up the headstone was needed from Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley Parish Council, which owns the graveyard.
But at a meeting of the parish council on April 17, one councillor voted against the memorial.
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This led to a consultation with residents being held, at which four written objections were submitted.
Mrs Spalding believes the people who objected have misunderstood her intentions.
She said: "People seem to think the memorial will be bright yellow and garish, but actually it will be the same granite colour as the headstone.
"We're not trying to be disruptive or sacrilegious, we just want to do something to reflect our son's character.
"The objections are very frustrating."
Mrs Spalding says it was decided to have Charlie buried at the church because the family are members and he loved going there.
She also claims the church uses a Simpsons-themed book commissioned by the Church of England in its Sunday school sessions.
Mrs Spalding, who has two daughters, one aged five and the other 10 months, says this shows the objectors to the headstone are being hypocritical.
The parish council's consultation period ended on Friday and a decision on the headstone will be made at a meeting on May 13 or June 19.
Council chairman Councillor Chris Armstrong said: "This is an emotionally charged issue which has placed the parish council in a very difficult position, with an extremely hard decision to make."
He added: "Some people feel it's not appropriate for consecrated ground in a churchyard."
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