St. Peter's Upper Churchyard

Thursday 18 February 2010

2010-02-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

Weather: clear but cold

Team: Dorothy, Peter, Carolyn

What we did:

Litter pick
Swept mud off of the Delauney memorial
Planted bulbs around the Delauney memorial

It is very nice to see (and hear from) several people who are tending graves of their ancestors. Below are some photographs of two of those graves:

The first two photographs are of the gravestone in memory of Georgina & Charles Thomas MADDERS

The second two photographs are of the gravestone in memory of John Francis EDWARDS

Thursday 21 January 2010

2010-01-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

Carolyn and Peter spent time in sections OL & C and around the church clearing litter and sweeping leaves and debris from the flat graves.

Apology

2010-01-10T14:21:00.001-08:00

Apologies for the lack of posting since June 2009. Carolyn was out of the country for the summer and since then, whilst we have managed to work in the churchyard on some occasions, these have been very limited due to the weather.

We hope to get back to working regularly and updating this blog when the snow and ice has cleared.

In the meantime, please read the entry for 31 December 2006 which lists the work done throughout 2006. This has been transcribed from a paper diary. There will also be a similar entry for 2007 coming soon.

Thursday 18 June 2009

2009-06-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

Team: Dorothy, Harry, Carolyn, Peter

Weather: threatening rain

What we did:

Dorothy, Harry & Carolyn planted more plants in the beds at the back of church. The plants were supplied by Manchester City Council as part of the Blackley in Bloom entry for Manchester in Bloom.
Dorothy also spent time collecting litter and doing general tidying.
Peter cleared the gutters around the vestry area of church.

Thursday 11 June 2009

2009-06-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Team: Dorothy and Harry

Today Dorothy and Harry cleared litter and debris from the car park and dead-headed the flowers from the beds.

Thursday 4 June 2009

2009-06-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Team: Peter, Carolyn, Dorothy, Harry, plus a team of 7 from the Unpaid Work Unit

Strimming of weeds
Weeding
Clearing litter and debris
UWU cleared more of the area at the top of the wall around the car park, creating a further bed area for more plants.

Wednesday 27 May 2009

2009-05-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

Team: Dorothy, Harry, Peter, Carolyn, plus a group of 6 from the Unpaid Work Unit (Probation Service) and Mike from Manchester City Council who delivered the plants

Weather: Rain at first but then dried up, although still cloudy and not very warm

What we did: Working in the area around the car park at the back of church, the guys from the UWU cleared the weeds and dug over the areas at the top of the walls. We then planted the new plants (over 300) in all four beds.

One of the guys from the UWU was also strimming the weeds around the graves in the lower part of section C where we have recently been working.

The whole area looks really good now and will look even better when the flowers have had chance to establish and bloom.

There are some photographs here: http://stpeter-blackley.fotopic.net

Tuesday 26 May 2009

2009-05-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Team: Peter and Carolyn

Weather: cloudy and dull but dry

What we did:

Preparation of the two flower beds behind church. Both needed weeding and the daffodil leaves cutting down so that the planting could be done on Wednesday.

Before:

After:

Thursday 23 April 2009

2009-04-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

More work on uncovering gravestones in section C:

Thursday 16 April 2009

2009-04-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Team: Peter and Carolyn

Weather: overcast & windy

Uncovered another grave next to the ones we did last week. This one had fly-tipped rubbish on as well as the soil - lots of broken glass, glass bottles & broken light bulbs. It is now mostly clear although will need some more work. The name on this is ROSE HAYTON and the stone was given by Rose's colleagues at the Co-op tobacco factory. There are no dates or family information on the stone so we are hoping that we might uncover another stone or some writing on the kerbs to give us more information about this grave and the person who was buried in it.
Carolyn also scattered some poppy & cornflower seeds on one of the war graves.

Here is a photograph of the stone given by the colleagues at the tobacco factory:

Thursday 9 April 2009

2009-04-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Team: Dorothy, Harry, Peter, Carolyn

Weather: Dull, ground wet from overnight rain

Uncovered two gravestones and kerbs which were completely covered by about 10"-12" of soil. Before we started there was no evidence of the graves. The names on these are ANDERSON and MIDGELOW.
Carolyn dug over the soil around one of the Commonwealth War Graves in preparation for sowing the poppy & cornflower seeds.
Peter met up with a member of the public who is interested in finding an ancestor's grave. The grave is situated in section P - number 29 but as yet, it is not found.

Thursday 2 April 2009

2009-04-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Team: Dorothy, Harry, Carolyn, Peter

Dorothy cleared fallen leaves, rubbish and other debris
Peter and Harry cleared soil from some more flat graves in section C
Carolyn visited all of the 17 Commonwealth War Graves to check on their access and current state. All are accessible, however the ground around some does need weeding/tidying and there are two stones which are still waiting to be replaced.

Thursday 26 March 2009

2009-03-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Team: Peter, Dorothy, Harry

Today we cleared leaves, rubbish, branches and other debris before having to retire due to the rain.

2009-02-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday 19 February 2009
Weather: dry and not too cold
Team: Dorothy, Harry, Peter, Carolyn

We spent today clearing more flat gravestones in section C. Three more were fully uncovered whilst some others were swept clean. Each time we work we seem to find more benign looking pieces of grass which actually have a very large flat gravestone beneath 5 or 6 inches of soil.

Saturday 14 February 2009

2009-02-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

Today we put up bird and bat boxes in the upper churchyard. These boxes were made by Jerry from The Friends of Blackley Forest and were paid for using part of a CASH grant from Manchester City Council. Jerry, Mike and Denise (from FOBF) brought the boxes - Jerry advised on where to put them and Carolyn's husband Robert bravely climbed the ladder to nail the boxes to the trees, ably assisted by Peter and Jack who were steadying and carrying the ladders. Thanks to everyone who helped with this.

Thursday 12 February 2009

2009-02-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

Team: Harry, Dorothy, Peter, Carolyn
Weather: very cold - ground frozen
What we did:

Peter and Harry brushed the recently cleared flat graves clear.
Dorothy cleared litter, leaves and soil from the car park and surrounding area
Carolyn recorded details from the gravestones in section C. There are now 419 records on the database.

Thursday 29 January 2009

2009-01-29T18:00:00.000-08:00

Weather: damp and overcast but not too cold
Team: Peter, Carolyn, Harry, Dorothy

Today we cleared another four flat gravestones in section C. There are about another five or six left to uncover. Each time we clear one, we need to wait at least a further week (depending on the weather) to then brush it clean. The weather has been so wet that the soil we remove is also very wet and really heavy making it impossible to brush off.

Thursday 15 January 2009

2009-01-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

Weather: cold and damp

Team: Dorothy, Peter and Carolyn

What we did:

Dorothy cleared old, dead plants from the beds around the back of church and then planted lots of bulbs
Carolyn and Peter cleared more flat graves and identified the remainder which are still to be completed in section C. We think that there are at least a further 10 flat gravestones to be cleared of the soil, leaves and other debris.
We also planted lots more bulbs in between the graves

Thursday 8 January 2009

2009-01-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

Weather: cold and damp

Team: Carolyn and Peter

What we did:

Cleared more flat gravestones in section C

before

after

Thursday 18 December 2008

2008-12-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

Weather: dull, damp
Team: Carolyn & Peter
What we did:

Peter cleared flat gravestones in section C
Carolyn cleared the old, dead plants from the bed at the back of church and then planted winter pansies
We then tidied another grave and planted some pansies.
Daffodil bulbs planted in between some graves

Thursday 27 November 2008

2008-11-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

Team: Dorothy & her grandson
Weather: dry and bright

Dorothy planted bulbs and her grandson cleared a further flat grave in the C section of the churchyard.

Thursday 20 November 2008

2008-11-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

Weather: warm and dry
Team: Carolyn and Peter

We cleared a further two flat gravestones in section C. Both had a large layer of soil on them and before we started it was not obvious that there was a gravestone at all.

before:	after:


Horrocks grave


McHardy grave

Tuesday 18 November 2008

2008-11-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

Weather: warm and dry
Team: Dorothy

Today Dorothy spent time dead-heading and tidying the flower beds and planting bulbs.

Wednesday 12 November 2008

2008-11-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

Weather: dry
Team: Harry and Dorothy

Bulb planting in the flower beds.

Monday 10 November 2008

2008-11-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

Manchester in Bloom "thank you" event.

Carolyn, Dorothy and Harry joined other contributors to Blackley in Bloom at a "thank you" event hosted by Manchester City Council at the Town Hall. The upper churchyard was part of the judging route for the Blackley entry. Blackley won a silver merit award in this year's event.

Thursday 6 November 2008

2008-11-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

Team: Carolyn, Peter, Dorothy, Harry, Eric, Greta

Today we were visited by Gill and Freda who were looking for a family grave. They brought with them photographs, newspaper articles and other information. These documents will be scanned and will be able to be viewed from a new "memories" page on the website.

We met at church and spent time over a cup of tea looking at the things which Gill and Freda brought with them. Peter took the opportunity to look up some information in the burial registers. Gill and Carolyn then went into the churchyard and found the grave! It is still in good condition, however the headstone has fallen backwards. Gill, Freda and family are to contact a stonemason with a view to having the headstone and other stonework restored to its former glory.

Dorothy also did some work to tidy up the flower beds.

Database and information from the Central Library

2008-10-16T18:00:00.001-07:00

Further to the entry on 2 October, Harry has again visited the Central Library in Manchester and has found that the records for burials between 1855 and 1880 are held in a file called "MFPR 2073 - 2075".

We do have the burial registers from 1892 onwards in church and we can search them for entries. There is, however a charge for this under Church of England rules.

The database of information on the gravestones in the upper churchyard has been updated and there are now 383 names. I am continuing to work on recording section C as that is where we are currently concentrating our restoration efforts, however there are many stones so it will take quite a long time even to finish recording this section. There is a link to view the database on the "upper churchyard" page of the church website at http://www.stpeter-blackley.org.uk

Thursday 16 October 2008

2008-10-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: dry, bright and some sunshine but with short showers of rain later

Team: Dorothy, Harry, Peter, Carolyn

What we did:

We continued working on clearing flat gravestones in section C of the churchyard. Today we managed to completely clear six stones, some of which had a very large build up of soil and plants. For many of these stones, it is not obvious that there is anything there except for a patch of grass and plants so they must have been completely unseen for many years.

Harry clearing soil:
before:
after:

Thursday 9 October 2008

2008-10-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: dry and warm with some sunshine!
Team: Dorothy, Peter, Carolyn

What we did:

Working in section C, we cleared soil, leaves and brambles from several flat graves, exposing some for the first time in many years. The main one which Peter was working on had about 6 inches of soil on top of it.
Carolyn recorded the names and details from some more graves in this section. The list on the website will shortly be updated and will contain around 300 names.
Peter and Carolyn planted some hawthorn trees at the bottom of the Hill Lane bank - hopefully they will survive and prosper to build on the length of hedge which is already established there. We also planted a few hawthorn berries in the hope that they might grow.
We also cleared most of the leaves from the vicarage drive into the green recycling bin for collection on Friday.

Manchester Archives in the Central Library

2008-10-02T18:00:00.001-07:00

Harry has recently visited the Central Library in Manchester. The records for St. Peter, Blackley are held within a section called "Monumental Inscriptions c. 1714 - 1950", "MFPR 1949".

Some of the information he found about graves was:

Grave number:
1768	WHITEHEAD	Joseph	76	11 February 1855
1768	WHITEHEAD	Mary	90	13 February 1867
1769	HEYWOOD	Joseph	26	26 April 1855
1769	HEYWOOD	Alice	70	25 November 1905
872	OGDEN	Samuel	80	30 June 1782
872	OGDEN	Jane	68	29 March 1774

Thursday 2 October 2008

2008-10-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: dry but cold
Team: Dorothy, Harry, Peter, Carolyn

What we did:

Dorothy tidied and dead-headed the flowers in the beds at the back of church.
Dorothy, Harry and Peter worked in section C clearing debris and soil from graves.
Carolyn recorded names and details from graves in section C

Monday 15 September 2008

2008-09-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Today the churchyard team were presented with a plaque by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. This is in recognition of the work which has been done to improve the churchyard and make it accessible again so that relatives can visit the graves of their loved ones. The presentation of the plaque follows the confirmation earlier this year that our churchyard has been re-recognised by the CWGC.

The photograph shows (left to right) Steve Lomas (from CWGC), Keith, Eric, Carolyn, Harry, Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch (Bishop of Manchester), Sean, Dorothy, Peter

Thursday 11 September 2008

2008-09-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: dry
Team: Michael, Peter, Carolyn

What we did:

Michael continued with the strimming of weeds
Peter and Carolyn cleared soil from flat graves
before:

after:

Thursday 4 September 2008

2008-09-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: cloudy, very light breeze, promise of rain
Team: Sean, Pete, Michael, Peter, Dorothy, Harry, Keith, Eric, Derek, Jean, Carolyn (11 people - wow!)

What we did:

Planned "purge" day today - a big bonfire to burn the piles of brushwood which had accumulated (we haven't had a fire for a long time). Michael managed to get the fire going quite quickly and then everyone started adding to it as they arrived. We managed to get through a considerable amount of the wood before the rain started.
Jean cleared weeds from section M, near to where we had the bonfire.
Early in the day, Dorothy and Harry weeded, dead headed and tidied the flower borders at the rear of church.
We cooked jacket spuds in the fire for lunch, together with barbecued tomatoes and baked beans heated in the fire. Food always tastes better when cooked outside! When the rain started (and it did pour down) we retired to church for tea, cakes and biscuits provided by Keith.
Sean and Pete did a considerable amount of branch lopping from some of the larger trees which means that most of the piles of brushwood which were burnt have now been replaced!

Thursday 28th August 2008

2008-08-31T02:02:00.000-07:00

Weather: drizzle and rain

Team: Peter, Michael

What we did (we were restricted to paths because rain made the stonework wet and slippery) :

litter-pick in lower and upper churchyard
collecting and stacking windfall branches and brushwood
Peter made more improvements to the vestry cloakroom, with Bob's help - we now have hot water!

Thursday 21st August 2008

2008-08-31T01:57:00.000-07:00

Team: Dorothy, Peter

What was done:

Dorothy and Peter did an excellent job of weeding and tidying the new flower beds at the back of church.

Thursday 24th July

2008-07-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

Weather: warm, breezy, bright, sunny in the afternoon.

Team: Dorothy, Harry, Peter, Michael

What we did:

Dorothy, Harry and Peter worked on removing weeds and clearing flat graves in section B.
Michael used the chainsaw to de-limb and cross-cut a sycamore tree which had previously been felled during chainsaw training and assessment (near section M).
Michael used the strimmer to clear the graves in section OL (next to Lion Brow) and the lower part of section C (near the vestry).
Eric refreshed us with afternoon tea!

Tuesday 22nd July

2008-07-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

Michael sprayed the Japanese Knotweed which had escaped previous treatments and which was looking far too healthy. Also sprayed new shoots growing from tree stumps.

Thursday 17th July

2008-07-24T12:40:00.000-07:00

Weather: lots and lots of rain

What we did: abandoned play without even starting

Monday 7 July 2008

2008-07-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

We have today received an email from a representative from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Many years ago due to the graveyard being in a poor state and the graves not accessible the point of commemoration was changed to Manchester Southern Cemetery and the casualties names were added to the screen wall.

Due to the vast improvements this has been reversed and the CWGC records will now direct visitors to the actual graves at St Peters and the two missing headstones will be replaced.

"Please pass on our thanks to all the people who have been involved in the hard work of looking after the ground."

Thursday 26 June 2008

2008-06-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: rain
Team: Dorothy, Peter, Michael, Carolyn

What we did:

The weather started off looking fine and after clearing the leaves from the vicarage driveway, Michael and Carolyn met Dorothy in the churchyard. Peter then arrived and so did the rain. We took shelter inside church until the rain had stopped and then gathered our tools, went back to the churchyard and the rain started again, only heavier this time.

There was no sign of the rain stopping again and so we decided that working outside was not possible and decided to clear out our tool cupboard. This is now wonderfully organised and tidy and we shall be able to find things easily now. Peter also fetched some old tools which had been living on the church balcony for many years. These were sorted through with useful ones being saved and kept in the toolbox whilst others were thrown out.

Thursday 19 June 2008

2008-06-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: fine and dry
Team: Dorothy, Harry, Peter, Michael, Carolyn
What we did:

finished weeding the left hand bed at the back of church and planted up with geraniums
worked on clearing more flat graves in section B

Thursday 12 June 2008

2008-06-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: dry, mostly cloudy but some sunshine
Team: Dorothy, Harry, Michael, Peter, Carolyn

What we did:

Dorothy, Harry & Peter worked on removing weeds and clearing flat graves in the B section.
Michael used the strimmer to remove grass, weeds, brambles and sycamores from the Hill Lane bank and then from the grassy area at the side of the car park
Carolyn removed overhanging hawthorn and sycamore branches from the Hill Lane bank.
In the afternoon, Peter and Carolyn worked on clearing a flat grave in the B section which has tree roots growing over it. Some have now been removed, however there is more work to do next week, probably using an axe or large chisel.
Eric's tea was very welcome after a hard day's work today!

Thursday 5 June 2008

2008-06-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: dry & warm
Team: Peter(1), Michael, Carolyn, Sean, Peter(2)

What we did:

Peter and Carolyn worked on the beds at the back of church in the car park. We spent most of the day removing the weeds and then Carolyn planted some geraniums in one side. The other side is still to be planted up.
Michael spent the day spraying weedkiller on the paths, war graves and Japanese knot weed.
Sean and Peter (2) removed branches which were either potentially dangerous or were hanging quite low and would possibly cause injury
In Eric's absence, Julie made us some well needed tea.

Thursday 29 May 2009

2008-05-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

Team: Peter, Carolyn and lots of young people from the "Hope 08 Urban Adventure" group http://www.bigdeal.org.uk/Group/Group.aspx?id=54419

In the morning, Peter and Carolyn continued with our work to clear the flat grave stones in the B section.

In the afternoon we were joined by the young people. The City Council had provided a large skip which was filled with fly-tipped rubbish and rubble mainly from the area of the churchyard near to the bottom of the vicarage garden. This included some huge reinforced concrete fence posts which took 8 or more of the volunteers to move - they carried them on their shoulders - a very impressive sight!

The long term project for this area, which does not contain any graves, is to create a natural (not manicured) memorial garden.

Thanks to the generosity of members of the congregation, we were able to provide the volunteers with sandwiches, biscuits, cakes, tea and coffee after their very hard work. Thanks to Chris, Greta and Eric for making the drinks and serving the food.

Thursday 22 May 2008

2008-05-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

Team: Dorothy, Harry, Peter, Carolyn

We all continued to work on uncovering and clearing the flat gravestones in the old ivy section (I say "old" as there isn't much ivy left - hurrah!). This section is really section B so that's what I will try to remember to call it from now on!

Thursday 15 May 2008

2008-05-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: warm and sunny but with a cool breeze
Team: Peter(1), Dorothy, Michael, Carolyn, Sean, Peter(2)
What we did:

Michael sprayed the weeds on the paths - a continuation of the work which he had been doing earlier in the week.
Dorothy and Peter continued to work on the graves near to the Tomlinson grave in section JX.
Carolyn spent time with a visitor, Mr Foster, who wanted to investigate the registers we hold in church. He was looking for marriage, baptism and burial information on some ancestors. We were able to find most of the entries which he was looking for.
Carolyn then did some further work on the graves around the Tomlinson grave, including planting some pansies in two urns which are on nearby graves.

Thursday 8 May 2008

2008-05-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: dry
Team: Dorothy, Harry, Michael, Carolyn

What we did:

Dorothy and Harry worked on clearing more of the flat gravestones in the ivy section. This work is now nearly complete.
Michael and Carolyn worked on clearing and tidying the Tomlinson grave in the JX section, together with the surrounding graves and paths. This is in preparat ion for the internment of ashes of Mrs Edith Tomlinson who died recently. See the before and after pictures below.
Eric again provided tea and biscuits

Thursday 1 May 2008

2008-05-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: dry
Team: Michael, Carolyn, Sean, Peter(2)

What we did:

Sean and Peter cut down some small self-seeded trees near to the vicarage and some branches from other trees which were either dangerous or in the way.
Michael and Carolyn moved brushwood from the Lion Brow side to the burn site and then moved logs and rubble to the Lion Brow site.
We were also able to identify two pieces of stone which had been removed from their graves and then return them to the correct place.

Thursday 24 April 2008

2008-04-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

Weather: rain!

Due to the weather, we were unable to work in the churchyard today (when the ground and gravestones are wet, there is a health and safety risk).

Michael and Carolyn did some work on the risk assessment which we need to do in order to apply to have some individual workers from the Unpaid Work Unit work with us on Thursdays. This, and the health and safety policy/information sheet for all of our volunteers should be available soon.

Thursday 17 April 2008

2008-04-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Team: Peter(1), Michael, Dorothy, Harry, Carolyn, Sean, Peter(2)
Weather: cold and blustery at times, occasional sunshine

What we did:

Dorothy brought her friend, Harry, our newest team member. Along with Peter(1), they worked on continuing to clear some of the flat grave stones in the "ivy section" (section B).
Sean and Peter(2) worked on removing branches and tree stumps.
Michael and Carolyn got a fire going to burn the brushwood created mainly when trees were previously removed from the section near to the housing association flats. There was also lots of other debris which had blown down in recent winds and the results of the work being done by Sean and Peter(2). Peter(1) also helped with this in the afternoon after Dorothy and Harry had left.
Tea and biscuits very gratefully received from Eric.

Thursday 10 April 2008

2008-04-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

Team: Peter, Michael, Carolyn, Dorothy
Weather: mixed - warm and dry one minute and pouring with rain the next!

What we did:

Carolyn worked on removing all of the sycamore seedlings from the beds at the rear of the church and also some from the bank behind church. There are so many this year and it will be quite a large job to get them all out. Wild flower seeds were then sowed into the beds.
Michael moved all of the chopped down shrubs from the lower churchyard (left from when the City Council contractors cut down the shrubs on the bank between the lower churchyard and the church).
Our newest team member, Dorothy then arrived. We all took a walk around the upper churchyard to show Dorothy around and to advise on the various health and safety issues as well as explaining some of the work which we have already done and what still needs to be done.
We then all set to work on clearing some of the graves in the "ivy section" (section B). Peter and Dorothy worked on clearing two gravestones of the soil and other debris (see photo) whilst Carolyn worked on removing ivy from nearby areas. Michael did the heavy stuff of wheelbarrowing away the foliage and also moving some other logs and rubble.
At about 2 pm, the rain began to get heavy so we retreated into church and completed some indoor jobs.

Thursday 6 March 2008

2008-03-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

Team: Peter, Michael, Carolyn, Eric
Weather: dry and breezy

What we did:

Michael and Peter spent the morning clearing litter and taking off the unsightly plastic from the tree stumps. The whole of the upper churchyard looks much less cluttered with "rubbish" now.

Carolyn spent the morning clearing the beds behind church (in the new car park) and then digging them over. This is in preparation for planting. Whilst doing this I found what appears to be parts of one or more stained glass windows. There is more glass underneath which needs to be dug out. Eric volunteered to clean up the glass so that we can then see if there is any value (historical or monetary) to it.
After lunch, Michael moved some more of the logs and rubble down to the Lion Brow side whilst Carolyn recorded the details of some more graves for the database. This brings the total number of individuals recorded to 188. Still loads to go but we're getting there!
Eric again provided some well needed tea and biscuits.

Thursday 28 February 2008

2008-02-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

Team: Michael, Carolyn, Eric.
Weather: fine and bright initially with no breeze, clouding over later with a slight breeze.

What we did:

Bonfire near to the west side of the upper churchyard (Hill Lane side) as we had four piles of brushwood and leaves to burn.
Removed holly tree and bushes (using one of the new saws!) from graves which we also burnt.
Raked up leaves, branches, twigs from the surrounding area and burnt them.
Lots of litter clearance - 3 black bags of litter, a bag of cans, bucket full of bottles and a few pieces of metal for the pile.
Moved more logs down to the Lion Brow log piles.
Moved bricks and other rubble to the Lion Brow piles ready for the skips later this year.
Well deserved tea and biscuits provided by Eric

Thursday 7 February 2008

2008-02-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

Team: Peter & Carolyn
Weather: dry

What we did:

Litter pick in the lower churchyard. We filled two large bags of rubbish, two large bags of cans, and an overflowing bucket of bottles. We also collected quite a few pieces of metal (for the pile!), several bags of piles of newspapers which someone had kindly thrown into the bushes and a very large plastic pipe. It is amazing how much of the rubbish found on a litter pick is actually not litter thrown by the general public, but things left behind by workmen. The whole area looked much better after we had finished and it was lovely to see the crocus flowers coming out.

Work in the upper churchyard during 2007

2007-12-31T18:00:00.000-08:00

Tuesday 16 January 2007

Michael, Peter & Carolyn did a litter pick and moved logs and branches

Thursday 18 January 2007

High winds – 3 large trees, some smaller ones on the Hill Lane bank plus lots of branches brought down by winds. Also, on the other side of Lion Brow, 4 conifers brought down plus 2 snapped off.

No work for health and safety issues

Tuesday 24 January 2007

Keith & Michael used chainsaws on the felled trees to make them safer and movable

Thursday 25 January 2007

Sean, Michael, Keith, Peter, Carolyn

Chain sawing broken trees, moving logs and branches

Wednesday 31 January 2007

Keith & Michael used chainsaws on the felled trees to make them safer and movable

Thursday 1 February 2007

Michael, Keith, Peter, Carolyn

Used chainsaws on the felled trees to make them safer and movable

Bonfire near to Lion Brow with jacket potatoes made in the fire and the kettle boiled on the stove

Thursday 8 February 2007

Bonfire near to the central crypt – Carolyn got the fire going without paraffin

Keith & Michael used chainsaws on the felled trees to make them safer and movable

Wednesday 14 February 2007

Sean used chainsaw to cut up more of the felled trees.

Carolyn, Peter, Michael burned branches (burn site between sections K & H) and shifted some logs to stacks near Lion Brow

Thursday 8 March 2007

Keith chainsaw to cut up more of the felled trees.

Carolyn, Peter, Michael worked on a bonfire between sections I & M

Thursday 22 March 2007

Morning – Carolyn & Michael did “tidying up” jobs:-

Cleared site for next burn

Moved and stacked brushwood

Collected litter from the bank near to the vicarage fence

Wednesday 28 March 2007

Michael shifted logs (from largest tree felled on 18 January) to stacks on Lion Brow

Thursday 5 April 2007

Peter, Michael, Ainsley & Lewis moved and stacked logs and brushwood

Wednesday 11 April 2007

Peter, Keith, Carolyn, Michael, Ainsley, Lewis

- Bonfire at the site nearest the vicarage

- Splitting large logs from trunks of trees felled on 18 January so that they can be moved

- Further cutting of the remaining stump from 18 January

- Carolyn’s birthday party in the churchyard – Jack, Robert, Julie & Hilary came to join us for jacket potatoes, beans, cheese, tea, Geo bars & birthday cake made by Jack

Thursday 26 April 2007

Keith & Michael did more cutting up of stumps of the large trees felled on 18 January, stacking some pieces and reducing others to 14 bags of firewood

Peter and Carolyn gathered and stacked brushwood for the next bonfire, cleared ivy from headstones and gathered rubbish and litter

Wednesday 6 June 2007

Michael sprayed herbicide on all paths (5 x 10 litres of Roundup Pro Green)

Thursday 5 July 2007

Replacement brush cutter given to us by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (Husquarna R250)

Monday 20 August 2007

Probation Service worked in upper churchyard

Monday 22 August 2007

Probation Service worked in upper churchyard (complaint about bonfire)

Tuesday 25 September 2007

Michael sprayed 2 x 10 litres of weedkiller on all Japanese knotweed (approximately 100 clumps with about 30% in flower)

Friday 12 October 2007

Michael – strimming

Carolyn – recording details of graves in section M

Peter – lopping & clearing

Thursday 18 October 2007

Michael – strimming

Carolyn, Peter & Keith – lopping & clearing

Work in the upper churchyard during 2006

2006-12-31T18:00:00.000-08:00

Tuesday 21 March 2006

Felling trees (12), clearing logs & branches, clearing ivy from the “ivy section” (section B).

Wednesday 29 March 2006

Strimming brambles, nettles, weeds etc. in the main central sections.

Thursday 30 March 2006

Felling trees (2), cutting tree trunks into logs, removing branches. Recording of information on gravestones and taking photographs.

Tuesday 4 April 2006

Sean working on felled trees in “ivy section” (section B), removing branches, cutting trunks into logs.

Michael helping Sean to shift & stack branches & logs.

Thursday 6 April 2006

Steve Lomas of CWGC delivered 2 litres of Roundup.

Burning brushwood, shifting branches & logs from section B, stacking branches for burning, stacking logs in area by Lion Brow.

Rained all afternoon.

Thursday 13 April 2006

Shifting & burning branches & brushwood. Treated around 75 tree stumps.

Friday 21 April 2006

Sean tidied trees, dead branches etc.

Tuesday 25 April 2006

Sean & Michael felled 4 trees in sections nearest to the vicarage (sections N & P). Cutting trunks into smaller logs.

Thursday 27 April 2006

Clearing & stacking brushwood ready for burning. Treated more tree stumps in “ivy section” (section B).

Wednesday 3 May 2006

Sean felled & cut up more trees in sections N & P

Thursday 4 May 2006

Burning brushwood, shifting logs, cutting felled trunks into logs.

Tuesday 9 May 2006

Sean reduced trees into logs. Michael sprayed 80% of “ivy section” (section B) with Roundup (7x10 litres).

Wednesday 10 May 2006

Michael finished spraying “ivy section” (section B) with Roundup (2x10 litres).

Thursday 11 May 2006

Burning brushwood, shifting logs. Sean removed lower limbs from sycamores on Lion Brown boundary & reduced trunks to logs in same area.

Turned gravestone for “Whitehead” grave in section I (near to the path between I & C) and tidied it. Removed the kerbstones at the relatives’ request & put down chippings. Photograph taken to send to relatives.

Tuesday 16 May 2006

Michael sprayed 2/3 of section C with Roundup to deal with the weeds, brambles, nettles etc. (4x10 litres).

Sean did further work reducing trees and logs on the Lion Brow boundary.

Noted that the crypt on the south east corner of section J had been re-opened for blocked it with heavy logs again.

Wednesday 17 May 2006

Michael finished spraying section C & started spraying section I from top end (3x10 litres).

Thursday 18 May 2006

The crypt at the corner of section J nearest to section I had been re-opened a few days previously. To make it safe and to discourage inappropriate use of it, we completely filled it with logs from recent tree felling. Very large and heavy logs were then used to block the entrance.

Carolyn tidied a grave near to the crypt on the corner of section H near the corners of sections I & J. Put chippings onto it to improve appearance and discourage weeds.

Tuesday 23 May 2006

Michael did some spraying of Japanese knotweed using new Roundup Pro Green (3x10 litres). Sections A, B, C, OL not done – still to do.

Wednesday 24 May 2006

Michael finished spraying all Japanese knotweed (12.5x10 litres)

Thursday 25 May 2006

Moved 8 barrow loads of wood chippings from lower churchyard for use on graves & paths.

Cleared & stacked brushwood and logs.

Michael did more general weed spraying in section I using Roundup Pro Bioactive (2x10 litres)

Carolyn tidied another grave near to the corner of section H near to the crypt.

Thursday 8 June 2006

Keith and Peter used hand scythes to clear weeds, saplings etc. in part of section H.

Thursday 15 June 2006

Sean pruned sycamore clump nearest to the vicarage and some trees along the top of the bank by Hill Lane.

Clearing and stacking of branches and some logs. Tidying of graves in section O

Tuesday 20 June 2006

Peter and Michael helped Sean to finish pruning sycamores on the boundary with Lion Brow.

Monday 26 June 2006

Visit by Iain Broughton, descendent of the Delauneys to view the memorial stones.

Tuesday 4 July 2006

Strimming paths.

Thursday 6 July 2006

Strimming paths and some of sections H, I, J and clearing debris. (using brushcutter blade, Keith’s hands tingled after 45 minutes and thumb seemed worse after).

Located Whittaker grave in section I. Strimmed, tidied and photographed.

Saturday 15 July 2006

Blackley Village Fun Day

Thursday 20 July 2006

Strimming, clearing debris, tidying graves

Tuesday 25 July 2006

Finished strimming section I and started on section OL & between I & M.

Clearing and stacking branches for burning & strimming debris

Clearing & tidying individual graves near to the top corner of section I

Tuesday 8 August 2006

Strimming & clearing – completed section between I & M plus about half of section OL.

Tuesday 15 August 2006

Strimming and clearing – completed section OL, various paths, completed section J, most of section N & along vicarage fence.

Wednesday 16 August 2006

Spraying weedkiller along vicarage fence, graves which have been tidied, nearly all of “ivy section” (section B).

Thursday 24 August 2006

Burned brushwood.

Thursday 7 September 2006

Strimming weeds and brambles – finished section N & most of section P

Carolyn clearing and tidying graves near to the crypt at the corner of section J near sections H & I.

Tuesday 12 September 2006

Spraying weedkiller (Roundup PG) – finished “ivy section” (section B), all of section H and ivy in section J.

Thursday 21 September 2006

Burning brushwood.

Thursday 28 September 2006

Sprayed Japanese knotweed in section P (Roundup PG, 3x10 litres).

Clearing and piling dead leaves and twigs and debris from strimming.

Thursday 5 October 2006

Michael & Carolyn met Deborah Lupton (of Albert Lupton Monumental Masons) to discuss the Whittaker grave. DL will send quotes to Joy and David Bark (relatives of the deceased).

Michael & Keith met Zanda (of Northern Counties Housing) regarding the complaint received from them (by telephone on 20 September) about the churchyard trees along the boundary fence with their property. Zanda felt that there is no cause for complaint but he will check with their surveyor and get back to us.

Sunday 8 October 2006

Michael finished spraying the Japanese knotweed in all sections.