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| Thorpe Market |
| A small village in North Norfolk |
Churchyard conservation
In 1997 a worn-out lawnmower, and an inability
to finance the purchase of a new one, brought about a radical rethink on churchyard
care. A decision was made to leave selected areas uncut for large portions of
the year. The resultant verdant growth and the appearance of wildflowers hitherto
not seen resulted in an invitation to Norfolk Wildlife Trust to carry out a
survey and advise on future maintenance regimes.
In 1998 the churchyard was
described by them as being one of the richest, in terms of diversity, of the
300+ churchyards that they had by then surveyed. In 1999 we were outright winners
of the Barclay/Norfolk Wildlife Churchyard Conservation Award.
In 2003 we received the CPRE (Norfolk Society) Conservation award.
Every year the church welcomes many visitors
on its "Snowdrop Sundays" and "Wildflower Walkabout" days.
In 2001 a self-contained area beyond the main churchyard was opened as a woodland
walk and a wildlife pond was constructed to attract amphibians and birds. See our
gardeners at work. Informative display boards in the church identify the wild-flowers
and butterflies that have been observed. The
churchyard is maintained by volunteers. Since 1998 it has received many
awards and accolades. This February we recorded over 500 visitors
viewing the snowdrops and aconites, who also joined us in the church
for refreshments and music.
Our churchyard team has 4 regular mower
persons, who cut all the short areas weekly between March and November.
Other volunteers take on specific tasks such as the flower borders.
This June we hope to welcome a team from the Unpaid Work Unit who
will provide younger muscle to do those jobs that are currently left
undone! (Painting gates, repairing the car park, removing ivy from
walls, lopping overhanging trees etc.)
The longer conservation areas are cut and raked in July/August, in order to allow butterflies an extended breeding season
The Hazel Grove area is now used as a Green Burial area for the interment of ashes. (See "Woodland burials").
We
encourage visits by conservation-minded people. May and June are
particularly colourful months, especially in the Hazel Grove.
We welcome new members to our team and any offers to undertake a specific task are gratefully received.
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