Comment - March 2010
Let's celebrate churchyards this year!
David Shreeve the CofE's national environmental adviser
Mrs Dorothy Frances Gurney wrote that ‘One is nearer to God's heart in a garden, than anywhere else on earth'. But she wrote that a hundred years ago and if she was around now I'm sure she would have included many of our churchyards. In many urban areas the churchyard is the only ‘green lung' for the community and the rural churchyard can often be a haven of biodiversity surrounded by acres of chemical-drenched monoculture.
Sheriff Hutton churchyard in Yorkshire
Too bad when part of the churchyard is turned into a wildlife area that complaints come in referring to the ‘state of the place' as if anything other than a quarter of an inch of grass between gravestones is sacrilege. Three cheers, therefore for the sterling work of the ‘Caring for God's Acre' organisation which from its title proves that it is all about looking after churchyards which, if they were all placed side by side would be a huge national park open for all to share producing a festival of wildlife and nature rightly being celebrated in this very special UN International Year of Biodiversity.
For too long the environmental doom mongers have been in the spotlight - the end of the world is not nigh. The early shoots of spring, and dare I add, the hint of warmth in welcome sunlight, are heralding life and all that means in over ten thousand churchyards. True, not every churchyard is in the best of condition. Not every one has a team of enthusiasts looking after it for even the wilderness needs managing and people will complain if they are not told in the right way what is going on and when.
Every month there could be a different colour, shape and smell to discover and if you have been putting off doing something about your churchyard then this is the year to do it - and tell us, because we want to spread the news about our churchyards and let people know about the good ones and find prizes for the best.
At the end of the year we want to go public with a list of all the biodiversity churchyards are holding in store for the country. Now's the time to get started so that your churchyard can play its role in the great national churchyard celebration in June - Cherishing Churchyards Week (18 - 27 June). It doesn't matter where it is or its size. It's part of a national park - so look after it and be proud of it!
Positive environmental news was featured in nearly twenty issues of the Parish Pump News. Unfortunately lack of sponsorship to cover the publication and distribution means that copies have not been produced during 2009. However, many of the items which would have appeared are now featured on the web: www.conservationfoundation.co.uk/news_other.php New stories, publications and events are added regularly.
