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.