We decided three years to have a go at clearing all the brambles which had taken over the churchyard and made most of it completely inaccessible. The volunteers spent many hours cutting back and burning brambles and self-seeded sycamores, gradually bringing the whole large area under control.

The change was amazing and the impact immediate. Visitors were able to reach family graves that they hadn't seen for years. But the best part has been to see the range of wildflowers which had obviously been hiding under the brambles suddenly take centre stage. We knew that we had a lot of daffodils and primroses in the early spring, but now we can see campion, ground ivy, oxeye daisies and Queen Anne's lace waving in the breeze. Churchwarden Sue Mason has been taking notice while working in the churchyard and has got to just over 50 different varieties!

Managing the churchyard to both allow access but allow the flowers to thrive isn't without its challenges. Leaving areas uncut means harder work when it finally is time to cut, but we think it is worth it.