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14th century lockdown – the life of an Anchoress

8th March 2021

The modern idea of anchorites in the medieval period is that they were recluses who were bricked up into a cell, never to see light of day or have any conversation with humans again. The truth is surprisingly different, in that certainly by the fourteenth century, anchorites – or anchoresses as I will refer to […]

God’s Acre

16th December 2020

I am in my local Parish Churchyard, St. Marys, Bromfield. The weather is mild, breezy and threatening rain but the flowering Ivy on the Scots Pine on the left of the gate is humming with insects, mainly Honeybees, assorted flies and a few wasps. The sweet scent of the Ivy flowers wafts in the humid […]

The Story of a hand hay baler

6th August 2020

Exactly a year ago we were contacted at the Caring for God’s Acre office by a gentleman who was impressed by the YouTube video of our hand hay baler, but couldn’t find the plans on our website.  We got back to him to say that we were concerned that the plans that we had on […]

Bioblitz at St John’s Churchyard

22nd July 2020

Over the years we have been encouraging groups to undertake a bioblitz in their burial ground. A bioblitz is a period of biological surveying (often over 24hours) which attempts to record as many species as possible within a set area. It is usually organised by a local conservation group or the community who bring in […]

Hazel dormice hold on in biodiverse churchyards

23rd June 2020

Guest blog post written by Sam Devine-Turner, Mammal Detective and Chair of Shropshire Dormouse Group With a decline of 50% since the year 2000, the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius is disappearing from the British countryside at an alarming rate. Not only are their numbers dwindling, but they have become extinct in 17 counties since 1885 […]

sleeping dormouse

Guidelines for installing Swift nest boxes in church belfries

17th April 2020

This month we have a guest blog from our friends at Action for Swifts. They have produced an excellent PDF which can be downloaded here, complete with illustrations and photographs for anyone who is interested in installing nest boxes in their local church belfry. The content is reproduced below. Nest boxes in church belfries have […]

Churchyard boundaries

17th February 2020

Guest blog post written by Judith Leigh, CfGA Trustee and member of Diocesan Advisory Committees. The boundary of a churchyard is very significant as it separates off a consecrated space, which is also commonly (though not always) used for burials and is also a place where people historically might claim sanctuary.  Most often this boundary […]

Georgians in Stone Project Seminar – Saturday 21st March, 9.30am to 4pm – POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

5th February 2020

A day celebrating Bishop’s Castle’s Georgian Heritage with talks, exhibitions and a book stall at The Community College, Bishop’s Castle. Free of charge, all welcome, booking required – download the booking form here.  The Parochial Church Council developed the project with the aim of conserving eleven Grade II listed Georgian tombs situated in the churchyard, including the well-researched […]

Pushing up the Daisies 2020 – Leicestershire – two upcoming lectures on churchyard wildlife

29th January 2020

Every parish has an acre of land where both people and wildlife can find sanctuary. Steve Woodward has visited all Leics & Rutland churchyards, to find out which plants and animals live in them. Steve’s presentation covers a wide range of creatures, from Spiders to Celandines, from Mosses to Mining Bees, and from Peregrines to […]

Dancing with Bees at the Caring for God’s Acre AGM!

4th September 2019

AGM Tuesday 12th of November 1.30pm the Bishop’s Palace, Hereford Dancing with Bees This year we are delighted to welcome Brigit Strawbridge Howard to our AGM where she will give an illustrated talk on the wonderful world of bees. Brigit is a naturalist, wildlife gardener, bee advocate and has just released her book ‘Dancing with […]

24 Hours in the Churchyard

23rd August 2019

A guest blog by Julie Howarth from St Editha’s Church, Church Eaton, Staffordshire. On 15th June, in St Editha’s churchyard, we undertook a bold project as part of ‘Love Your Burial Ground’ week in conjunction with the project run by Caring for God’s Acre. Jacqui Hodgkinson and myself pitched camp behind the church at 10a.m. […]

National Biodiversity Network Awards for Wildlife Recording

15th July 2019

One of our key partners in the Beautiful Burial Ground Project – The National Biodiversity Network (NBN) are running awards for Wildlife Recording. The awards were developed in 2015 by the National Biodiversity Network Trust, the National Forum for Biological Recording and the Biological Records Centre to celebrate the achievements of individuals and groups in the wildlife recording sector. […]