The Churchyard Wildlife Group was formed by people from Hackleton, Piddington and Horton to try to improve our churchyard's biodiversity. Given that the UK is considered one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world (the statistics are alarming, but we won't repeat them here) and that we are all waking up to the realities of climate change and biodiversity loss, we felt it was important to do what we can for our local environment.

Organisations like The Wildife Trust BCN (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire) have been encouraging churchyards for decades now to try to do something to improve biodiversity. The Anglican Church also has shown increasing awareness of these issues, and in 2024 general synod passed a motion to help tackle the crisis.

In 2020 we received a visit from Wildlife BCN, who surveyed our churchyard and gave us plenty of great advice for how we can do small things to help improve the space that we have, which is about 1.3 acres. In embarking on this project, we are joining about 90 other churches in the region that are taking similar steps, including St Edmund's church in Hardingstone, which is part of our Living Brook Benefice. In 2023 we also received a visit in Horton, and it is part of our longer term plan to try to improve the Horton churchyard as well.

Over the last three years we have been putting into practice some of the steps that have been suggested to us, including adopting kerbed graves, on which we can plant wildflowers and other pollinator-friendly species. We consult with the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and Hackleton Parish Council (HPC), who have had some responsibility for maintenance of our churchyard since it was closed to burials. HPC have also help to fund some of the actions we are taking, including funding the installation of bird, bat and bee boxes, and purchasing a water butt. A mini-pond has already attracted frogs and we have had a wildflower patch on a large kerbed grave.

A significant step was the establishment of a 1 metre strip left unmown along our northern wall which separates the churchyard from the council cemetery. Ironically, leaving things alone is one of the best things we can do to improve biodiversity. This was first done in 2023 after some resistance, and once again we saw large numbers of bees, hoverflies and butterflies taking advantage. We also have toads wandering around and occasional badgers - even a muntjac has been spotted in the churchyard.

You can see more about what we have done so far and our plans here.