By Jane Knowles
A small group of volunteers from Bramley Wombles and Bramley St Peter’s answered the call to spruce up the churchyard on Hough Lane.
Tasks completed during the two-hour session last Thursday included watering the fruit trees, trimming overgrown foliage, edging the paths and pulling weeds. Across the 3.4-acre site, the volunteers made a small but significant impact and felt their time had been well spent.
Guerilla gardener and climate activist, Grace Hills, who organised the event said her ethos is: “Transforming neglected urban patches into biodiverse places for people and planet.”
She is keen to engage members of the congregation and the local community and encourage them to slow down, take note and meet people all whilst connecting with nature.
Grace has a vision to re-wild parts of the churchyard and future plans were discussed including installing water butts, alternative paths and an octagonal bench around one of the mature trees, providing much needed shade in our increasingly hotter summers.
St Peter’s Churchyard was closed by Order of the Council in 1987 but most of the headstones were removed as part of the redevelopment of the town centre of Bramley in the 1970s. Some of the tombstones now form paths crossing the area.
Grace Hills will be running a series of art workshops in the orchard area of the churchyard from August to October this year. You can find out more about her work on her Instagram page @sparkingcommunity.
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Fantastic article about Brilliant people (aka Wombles!) making a difference! Thank you.