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God's Acre, Leintwardine - Editorial
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God's Acre, Leintwardine - Editorial
Location: Herefordshire
 Visitors to St Mary Magdalene at Leintwardine have been seeing more of local wildlife, thanks to the God’s Acre project. Previously hidden and unnoticed flora and fauna from the churchyard are getting a higher profile. The project aims to create stronger links between the church and the community and develop biodiversity of the churchyard.
The churchyard is a natural haven for insects and birds that are under increasing pressure from intensive farming and over-enthusiastic gardening methods.
“Biodiversity is beautifully illustrated in the churchyard where a stone crypt creates a valuable habitat for lichens and a wall provides a microclimate for delicate flowers” says Caring for God’s Acre project coordinator Sue Cooper.
  Biodiversity is beautifully illustrated in the churchyard where a stone crypt creates a valuable habitat for lichens.
 Now project members have uncovered the natural treasures of the churchyard, which include a rare 90 year old female mistletoe, nestling among the branches of an ancient oak tree. The benefits of creating such a haven of peace speak for themselves:
“If the Church is open, welcoming and alive, people are respectful. Visitors who come from the cities appreciate the peace here”, says Reverend Sylvia Turner, vicar of Leintwardine. “There’s so much that we don’t know about the history of the churchyard and of course this area is steeped in history from its Roman origins through the Mortimers and the Civil War”
Over 100 people have been directly involved in the project, plus many locals and visitors. Children have become explorers in a minibeast safari, tracking down what creepy crawlies are to be found.
 They’ve also been taking a closer look at the gravestones, making stone-rubbings and uncovering the history of people from the past; it’s thought the bodies of 10,000 people are buried in the churchyard, all of them residents of the parish over the last millennium.
There have been excellent public benefits to the project too, from training local people to improving access to the site for disabled people. And what does the future hold for the project? There are exciting plans afoot, including a scented trail and information board for tourists, plus a booklet accompanying the project which is to be used as a proforma helping other communities to start their very own “God’s Acre" project. So next time you’re in Leintwardine, take a moment to savour the peace of a tranquil churchyard that’s a haven from the bustles of the world – God’s own Acre.
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