THEY'RE the caring siblings who have restored hundreds of graves to their former glory, bringing comfort to grieving Hampshire families. 

Twins Vicky Smith and Emma Stevens are The Graveside Sisters.

47-year-olds Vicky, from Horton Heath, and Emma, from Bitterne, first started restoring headstones after noticing so many in a bad state of repair.

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Lockdown restrictions, which meant separate households could only meet outdoors, saw the pair walking through a graveyard and the idea was born.

What started as a pandemic hobby in 2020 really took off and has morphed into a successful business. 

Daily Echo: The Graveside Sisters Emma and Vicky restore graves all over Hampshire and further afield

Vicky told the Daily Echo: "We noticed that a lot of graves didn't look like they were looked after. We thought what can we do about that and looked into cleaning them up a bit.

"We just started cleaning gravestones for friends, then word got out and it turned into a business. It was just a hobby at first, we're not doing it for the money. 

"It's such a lovely thing to do, working in graveyards where there is silence apart from the birds singing.

"We're really lucky to do it. We love it, it's just such a rewarding job. That's our motivation.

"Quite often people have cried after they've seen our work, especially with children. We find out a bit about the person we're going to be working with. Loved ones enjoy talking about them. It's a memorial to someone they loved and it's very special to families."

The sisters have both always had a creative streak, but the sideline is quite far removed from their day jobs, Vicky's at The Garden Society on Allington Lane and Emma's for Love It Lawns in Hedge End. 

Daily Echo: Before and after picture from The Graveside Sisters

With the help of a stonemason neighbour, they learned all the tricks of the trade and now spend evenings and weekends travelling all over Hampshire, most regularly to churchyards, and Hollybrook, St Mary Extra and Eling cemeteries.

The Graveside Sisters provide a grave cleaning and letter restoration and replacement service. 

They are finding relatives are booking them for annual visits and are always particularly busy in the summer months. 

Vicky and Emma have now worked on more than 300 graves, including those of Titanic crew members. They are always respectful, never remove anything without asking and leave flowers every time.