Volunteers still needed – Church memorial garden

The memorial garden is somewhere peaceful where people can go and remember their loved ones. The volunteers who used to look after the memorial garden are no longer able to so. Consequently, we are looking for new helpers. If we can share the work this will make the task manageable and enjoyable, spending time outdoors makes us all feel better.

We are hoping to make the space wildlife friendly with a mix of evergreen shrubs, flowers, bulbs and herbs.

You do not have to be a church goer or have knowledge of gardening or commit to coming along every time. Dependent on weather, we envisage a couple of sessions in April to clear the existing beds and plant the initial shrubs. Then once a month after that to maintain, plant bulbs and prune.

Initial work has started but we have been delayed due to the recent dry spell stopping us planting. We are now all set to go with the support of the Church which has given us a generous donation for perennial plants.

If you would like to express an interest or find out more about what is involved please email [email protected]

This group was formed in May 2024 with the aim of looking at what as a church we could do to reduce our carbon footprint and help the environment.

We are delighted to be awarded a bronze award by A Rocha which is a national charity.

Having such a beautiful building is fantastic but brings challenges and there is a limit to what we can do structurally. However, there are some easy fixes like LED light bulbs, using environmentally consumables etc. We are currently looking at ways to improve the draft-proofing and plan in the longer term to investigate different ways to heat the church.

We have also looked at what we can do to increase environmental diversity. We hope to include people from our local community. We plan to include HCREW with building bat boxes, nest boxes and a bee day. Next year we intend to complete surveys of the insects and other wildlife in the churchyard. We have been supported by a grant from the School Trust to help with the cost of materials.

If you have any ideas, expertise or are interested in becoming involved please email [email protected].

We have made a great start on tidying up the Memorial Garden thanks to the hard work of our volunteers but this is an ongoing process with the re-ordering of the flower beds and improving the fertility of the soil. If you would like to be involved then please email us at [email protected]