Grant of £22,000 for Leintwardine Churchyard

The churchyard is a very special place, a sacred space, a history book full of stories of people and times past. It is an increasingly rare undisturbed place, where wildlife can flourish and children can learn about nature. It is also a place in which to find quiet, to sit and reflect.

It is ‘God's Acre’, a concept that comes from a poem by Longfellow:

I like that ancient Saxon phrase which calls
The burial ground God's Acre! It is just;
It consecrates each grave within its walls
And breathes a benison o'er the sleeping dust.

Last year, in Phase 1 of the God’s Acre project we had surveys of birds, bats, plants, trees, lichens and built up a very full picture of the riches of our churchyard. We also had two days with children in the churchyard doing a variety of activities such as mini beast safaris!

This year we move to Phase 2 which will run through to October 2003. We have received a grant of £22,722 from the Local Heritage Initiative and Nationwide Building Society. There will be further survey work on things like the butterflies and moths and the recording of the inscriptions on the tomb stones. However, the major theme of this year's work will be the interpretation and the development of the use of the churchyard.

There will be information boards and trail leaflets catering for adults, children and specific disability groups. Benches will be placed giving quiet places to sit, to study or reflect. There will be educational opportunities - conservation work, guided walks and further schools’ days.

A large part of the funding this year will go to 'Explore the Churchyard'. This will develop creative ideas on the use of the churchyard which will be tested in Leintwardine and then published in book form for other communities undertaking similar projects. This idea has come from Peter Privett, a former teacher, living in Leominster, who has done much community based work in the Marches area. It will be a wonderful opportunity for us.

Group Name		St Mary Magdalene Church, Leintwardine
Project Contact		Rev. Sylvia Turner
Address		Leintwardine, Herfordshire
Finishing Date		October 2003