Friends of Woodkirk Churchyard

A new way of supporting the work to develop and tidy Woodkirk Churchyard. Follow our new Facebook page for more information and to support us. You can make a secure one-off or regular online donation using the button below. This will also allow you to gift aid your donation so we can receive an extra 25p for every £1 you donate. All donations will go towards the continuing clearing and maintenance of the churchyard.

St Mary’s stands within a churchyard that spreads over 11.5 acres. The churchyard is still in use for burials and has four cremation plots.Over the years the churchyard had become overgrown and was in desperate need of some TLC. In 2016 we began the mammoth task of transforming our churchyard to its former glory. With the help of the Community Payback team and our dedicated helpers we have made great inroads into clearing the overgrowth, keeping the grass trimmed and the pathways clear

As you can imagine this is no easy feat and whilst a lot has been done, there is still a lot of work to do, as well as maintaining what has already been cleared.

Ways in which you can help

  • On the first Saturday of the month between 9am -12pm a small but dedicated team from the church work to maintain the churchyard. If you feel up to the challenge we are always recruiting new volunteers. Not only will you help us you will also have a terrific workout for free!
  • Going to the skip? Why not pop in to the graveyard and grab a couple of bags of garden rubbish on your way. We fill multiple bags every week and would appreciate anyone who could support us taking it away
  • Make a donation. To maintain the graveyard we need gardening equipment and these come at a cost. If you can help us by donating whatever you can afford we will be extremely thankful. The donate button is above.
  • We have set up a Facebook page called ‘Friends of Woodkirk Churchyard’. Here you can read all about our transformation, take a look at the before and after pictures as we transform each area.We treat the churchyard as an important ecological area. Some of the older parts are left to grow ‘wild’ which is great for wildlife, and others are kept neat in order to help rare flowers and the abundance of daffodils and bluebells in the spring.

The churchyard has 10 Commonwealth Grave Commission graves within it. Information about the servicemen who are buried here can be found here: https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2041428/woodkirk-(st.-mary)-churchyard

The photos below represent the churchyard through time (older photographs reproduced with permission from www.leodis.org).

Result of the storm in 1832 (as depicted on a window in church)

Result of the storm in 1832 (as depicted on a window in church)

1900s

1900s

1920s

1920s

April 2009

April 2009

A lovely day in 2009

A lovely day in 2009

Churchyard Clearup Team May 2009

Churchyard Clearup Team May 2009

Certificate awarded to the church in 2003 for Churchyard Conservation

Certificate awarded to the church in 2003 for Churchyard Conservation