Churchyard Conservation Success Story
Group/Individual: Friends of the Rosary Cemetery
Location: Norwich
This group of approximately 70 volunteers, was set up ten years ago to assist with practical management tasks within the cemetery, as well as promoting it as a place of historical and recreational value. The group works closely with Norwich City Council and has forged links with local conservation organisations including Norfolk Wildlife Trust and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV).
NWT helped to carry out an initial wildlife audit and the group undertakes annual guided wildlife tours, which help map the fortunes of various wild flower species against the baseline.
The group won a BTCV People’s Places Award which allowed development of a self-guided trail and production of a booklet to support it. The artwork for the trail signs was a final year project for three students from Norwich School of Art and Design. The trail has proved so popular that the city council now mows short paths to the featured monuments to ensure easy access.
At the Norfolk Community Biodiversity Awards presented in 2009, Rosary Cemetery secured top honours in the group category of the awards. The Friends of the Rosary Cemetery won the award for helping to promote the historical, cultureal and wildlife value of the cemetery and for organsing work parties and open days.
Paul Holley, Natural Areas Officer for the city council and administrator of the awards, said: “These awards show that people throughout Norfolk have been working together to protect and enhance our natural heritage so that more people can enjoy it. It’s good to see an entry from Norwich among the winners of this year’s awards, and even better that the excellent work done by The Friends of the Rosary Cemetery has been recognised in this way.”
Mark Shopland, secretary of The Friends of the Rosary, said: “It’s really nice to win the award as it recognises and rewards all our efforts. We’re lucky to have such a good working relationship with the city council that benefits everyone.”
The group has plans to develop further thematic historical tours and wildlife activities such as a dawn chorus walk and tree identification tour.