Spring has sprung!
Spring is well and truly here and lots of churchyards are full of spring flowers and blossom. Diana has already started to make some advisory visits to churchyards and have an assessment for the Award booked in for April too.
If you would like to be considered for the Bronze Award this year, please let Diana know and we can fix a date for an assessor’s visit. If you have already attained the Bronze Award and are contemplating the Silver level, then please let her know too.
Remember: the most important thing is to create different lengths of grass throughout the year. Please see the attached scoring leaflet (recently updated, and with a message from Bishop Dagmar) which sets out the grassland requirements very clearly. You might also find this notice you might find useful when explaining what you are trying to achieve to the local community. You could also use this poster, which is free to download from Caring for God’s Acre.
Diana Cook: Volunteer Co-ordinator, Cambridgeshire Churchyard Conservation Award
Love Your Burial Ground Week: Saturday 7 - Sunday 15 June 2025
For over 15 years, Caring for God’s Acre have been encouraging all who help in churchyards and cemeteries to celebrate these fabulous places each June. Last year churches across the country organised a variety of events such as nature and history talks and tours, picnics, bioblitzes and photography competitions. Could you take part this year? Perhaps you can find local people who could share their knowledge in, for example, identifying wildflowers, lichen, butterflies, insects or trees. Perhaps they would lead a tour, or design an activity sheet for children, based on nature in your burial ground. Visit the Caring For God's Acre site for ideas and resources.
Churches Count on Nature: Saturday 7 - Sunday 15 June 2025
If you are interested in counting wildlife in your burial ground – visit this page to learn how to get started and share your records. Registration for the 2025 Churches Count on Nature has already opened.
Birds in Green Spaces
An organisation called Birds in Green Spaces are running a pilot project in Cambridgeshire. You can find out more information on the Birds in Greenspaces project, as well as finding all of the resources you will need to take part in the 2025 pilot.