Rectory Lane Cemetery, Three Close Lane, Berkhamsted HP4 2DH
www.rectorylanecemetery.org.uk | | | First off, we need to share the news that the Anglia in Bloom judges who visited in July are nominating the Cemetery for a national RHS Community Engagement award! We had to submit a 3-minute video, accessible here, along with written evidence supporting our case. We had some lovely testimonials to include and our thanks to Tracey, Leah, Suzie, Carol and Chris.
We are delighted that the work done by all the volunteers has been recognised in this way and how positive the community feel about the space. We will hear the result in October! | | Inspired to help?
Cemetery visitors are surprised to learn that we maintain this beautiful place with a small group of regular volunteers and no guaranteed income. We do need more people and more donations - please help by contacting team@rectorylanecemetery.org.uk to offer your time or donating what you can via this link Many, many thanks! | | | | The heatwave feels to have passed now but August was a really challenging month in terms of watering through the hose pipe ban - and even working in that heat. Our Wednesday afternoon work parties and, of course, our mowing sessions, stopped. But a terrifically dedicated small team turned up in the early mornings or cooler evenings to water grave gardens collectively, using wheelbarrows and trolleys, giving young trees a bucket or two, keeping the pond topped up and ensuring the cemetery's creatures had water. Many thanks are due to them and to those grave gardeners who made a point of coming by to water their gardens. | | | The upper cemetery still looked dramatic with its dry grasses and sculptural teasels. Over the next month we will need to be cutting most of this grass down and raking it off carefully, giving time for any creature to move and flower seeds to drop. This is a big job - we'd welcome anyone who can help. | | On 1st August our Butterfly Conservation volunteer expert hosted an official Big Butterfly Count to add to the country's records. The first count recorded Small White 3, Common Blue 2, Small Heath 3, Painted Lady 1, Large White 1, Gatekeeper 1, Brown Argus 1, Peacock (asleep) 1; second count recorded Gatekeeper 4, Small Copper 1, Common Blue 2, Brown Argus 1, Meadow Brown 1, Red Admiral 1: 13 species in all.
Warm weather across Europe this spring had prompted millions of Painted Ladies to flock to our shores from Africa to feed and mate and their offspring are emerging around the country. The butterflies visit many flowers including Buddleia, and their caterpillars feed mainly on thistles, both of which we have in the cemetery. | | | Some before and after pictures of graves cleared ready for some wildflower seeding or planting, by volunteers from local business ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations) for their community service day. It was very hot and we're grateful to them for completing the work and looking pretty jolly while they're doing it! They have been part of our workforce each year for a number of years, including planting up a double grave. It's great to have them. | | | Service of Thanksgiving for our Community's Volunteers Father Stuart has invited all volunteers across the many organisations and groups in the town to a special service of thanksgiving, including those of us who look after the cemetery.
Thursday 17th September at 6.30pm
short 'Service of Thanksgiving for our Community's Volunteers'
followed by a drinks reception.
To help the organisers with refreshments they'd like to know who to expect so please complete this Google form: (the more the merrier!): https://forms.gle/BtHv18ACdiG5DyMc8 | | Who's buried here?
Each month we like to feature someone buried in the cemetery whose life has been researched by one of our volunteer genealogists. We know where they are, they don't all have headstones and the vast majority don't have portraits or photographs to show us what they looked like.
But they are all interesting individuals, none more so than Arthur Ruthven Bell (1874 - 1932) who lies in an unmarked grave in the middle section of the cemetery. He spent his childhood and early adulthood living in East Barnet in London, was probably a socialist and definitely an ardent vegetarian, decrying the slaughter of animals for the Christmas feast. To find out more, follow this link. | | |
We still have pots of delicious Spring honey for sale.
Get in touch if you'd like some. | | | Rectory Lane Cemetery is a beautiful and accessible place for commemmoration, with a dedicated garden for the interment of ashes. Do think of the Cemetery when considering loved ones you have lost.
To date we have interred ashes for 17 local families and have engraved over 144 commemmorative tiles.
For more information, follow this link: https://www.rectorylanecemetery.org.uk/sustain/memorialising/ | | | Can you help us?
Providing the service of ashes interment is just one way in which we are keeping the cemetery current for the local community. It's also a way of raising funds for the continuing maintenance of this space as we ask for a donation, in lieu of a fee, which would be payable to any commercial cemetery.
Finding the money necessary to pay contractors, our part-time ranger, repair and replace machinery, repair and deal with any damage to the three-acre site is an ongoing challenge for the charity.
If you'd like to help raise money to keep this award-winning community asset going - either personally, or through any association or organisation you're part of, please do get in touch. There are many ways we can collaborate or facilitate sponsorship of different aspects of the project.
Thank you. | | | | | |
