The Graveyard Gardeners, who help look after Wellington Cemetery, have branched out over the weeks of lockdown imposed because of the coronavirus crisis.
The group was set up to maintain untended graves at the cemetery in August last year and with the help of a substantial social media presence now has 210 members. The ‘gardeners’ also research the lives of individuals buried at the cemetery.
Many of the group’s activities have come to a halt over the last few months but members have adapted to challenging times.
Rachel Edgecombe, from the group, said: “We have made use of our ‘Talking Bench’ to offer distanced conversation to those in the community experiencing loneliness due to the lockdown. We have arranged meetings with people that have contacted via phone and arranged a time where we can bring a coffee along and have a chat. This has also attracted many new people to appreciate the beauty and history of the Rockwell Green cemetery, and it has been lovely to see friendly faces who are interested in the group while on their daily walks.”
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New member Nicole Stanfield, founder of Death Café Taunton and who specialises in cemetery history, will be helping the group create a local history trail where visitors can learn about the lives of former residents. Paper copies will be available but it is aimed to create a digital version which visitors can access through mobile devices.
Wildflower seeds supplied by Seed of Hope CIC have recently been scattered on the verges overlooking the new burials and it is hoped the flowers will provide a little beauty for visitors to the cemetery.
Taunton Deane Council has apologised for strimming wildflowers grown by some of the group’s members – the Graveyard Gardeners have been in contact with the council to try to ensure this does not happen again.
The group would welcome new members who wish to ‘adopt’ a grave in the old part of the cemetery and find out about the life of the person buried there.
The Graveyard Gardeners would like to thank H T Perry in Wellington for providing the bench and the town’s Co-op store which gave them flowers not sold for Valentine’s Day which they were able to put to good use at the cemetery.
For more information the group can be contacted by phone – 07885 739371; email – [email protected]; Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/
TheGraveyardGardeners/; Instagram – The.Graveyard.Gardeners.