Yorkshire Living Churchyard Project p4 Autumn 2013 It has been a busy final year . Yorkshire Living Churchyard Project FUNDING END NOTES . With the help of the volunteers, The perennial problem!! Here are some possible 32 advisory visits have been made to sources (sorry, I haven’t checked any of them): Patron: The Archbishop of York churchyards since Easter. www.ynyfundingadvice.org.uk/index.php/news: Three PowerPoint presentations have been made, for those in North Yorkshire Autumn 2013 one more in November. www.ctxchange.org: eligible charity users can obtain very The YLCP section of the Archbishop of York’s website low cost software licences Welcome to the autumn newsletter— sadly my swan song. After much deliberation and heart-searching over the last has been updated and a photograph from Finningley www. Nesta.org.uk: how-to guide to crowdfunding, church added—the Archbishop is Patron of the YLCP. directory of sources few months I shall be retiring at Christmas but several days of annual leave still to be taken mean that my departure may be in early to mid December. The Archbishop held a tea-party at the Palace for www.nationalchurchestrust.org: grants programme for St Mary’s Church Kirkburn representatives of the organisations of which he is 2013 available In February 1991 I joined the Project for 8 months (!), ©Ethna Connell the remaining time of a 3-year funding from the Prince’s Patron. A very warm gesture and a great success. www.vinspired.com/Community-Funding Trust (Royal Jubilee Trust) obtained by two volunteer The charity ‘Caring for God’s Acre’ asked for www.co-operative.coop/membership/local- members of YWT Brenda Gilling and the late Jean Hall suggestions for Yorkshire churchyards that might be communities/community-fund (and, importantly, with enthusiastic help and featured in an article in the British Wildlife Journal— encouragement from YWT and the Archdeacon of York St Chad’s Churchyard at Far Headingley is being CHURCHYARDS ONLINE RECORDING PROJECT Leslie Stanbridge) to launch the ‘Wildlife in Churchyards considered so keep an eye open for it. Project’. At the end of my 8 months more funding was In August 2012 a meeting was held at York University to Open Churchyards have been held at Wilberfoss, found and so the Project (by now renamed the Yorkshire consider the National Biodiversity Network’s proposed Lightcliffe Old Churchyard (Halifax) and Raikes Burial Living Churchyard Project) continued and expanded into project to encourage people to record the wildlife in their Ground (Skipton). all the Yorkshire dioceses— sometimes outside local churchyard and to enter it in a national database. Yorkshire because the diocesan boundaries did not The annual Cecil Pybus Memorial Trust natural Unfortunately NBN’s application for Heritage Lottery Funding change with the county boundary changes in the late history project for children in the parish of failed but the project has been taken over by the A Rocha UK 1960s. YWT was volunteer-led in those days and I was supervised by Brenda and Jean; now it is staff-led and has Gilling East was judged. There was an article about organisation. Below is a short introduction from A Rocha: grown from a handful of staff to over 100. the CPMT in the 2011 November newsletter. We are working with the NBN to try to increase church St Helen’s Church Wheldrake ©YWT Funding was however a little shaky at times and in the 1990s I And of course the newsletter sent by email and post involvement in surveying wildlife in churchyards and submitting that information online through iRecord. We are trialling surveying received a letter of redundancy. Thankfully lots of you rallied in Spring and Autumn to over 400 recipients. methods and the website this year with a handful of churches. We round with the archdeacons and the Archbishop of York are asking them to survey their churchyards and to submit those Dr David Hope and wrote to YWT expressing your concern that records online. Later this autumn we will be asking for feedback Congratulations to . such a valuable and worthwhile (and relatively inexpensive) through a questionnaire and potentially face to face follow up. We Project was to be discontinued. In response, YWT found some hope this feedback will help inform us how best to equip churches Wilberfoss Church for winning a Silver Gilt Award as funding and redundancy was duly withdrawn. part of Wilberfoss in Bloom (the village also won a to survey wildlife and identify potential barriers to surveying. Seeing your churchyards, being inspired by your enthusiasm, Silver Gilt) The project will begin in a small number of Church of England dioceses where work is already being done to enhance the wildlife enjoying your delicious cakes at Open Churchyard events have Gilling East Church for being one of three finalists in value of churchyards. In Yorkshire this will involve only the Diocese made the last 22 years delightful. The small group of the green category in the Ryedale Rural Awards— of York so the work of the YLCP will be continued to some extent. volunteers who have and they have the certificate to prove it! All being well the project will be launched in 2014. helped with the advisory visits to churchyards have been marvellous— skilled, Holy Cross Church Gilling East Read more at www.arocha.org capable, unstinting with their time and without them far fewer of God’s Acres would be sanctuaries for the living. ©Liz Mason ‘All things wild and wonderful: wildlife imagery in THANK YOU TO . But where to begin? Yorkshire churches’ by Jill Lucas And the future—sadly there are no immediate plans to continue the Project with a paid Officer but there may be some continuity if a committed volunteer I was asked to review this book but did not have the The volunteers—already acknowledged on p1 but I coordinator can be found. And me—there’ll be more time for my family, time or the expertise to do so. Nor have I read it but it cannot thank them enough. Many of you will have met friends and garden, more time to deepen my love of all things Italian and its looks fascinating. Below is Jill’s outline of it: them and benefitted from their warmth, knowledge and advice, way beyond the call of duty. language, perhaps have yet another attempt to learn German, more time to It is about the birds, plants and animals etc carved in visit county record offices to pursue my family history and more extensive use Those of you who have contributed articles for the wood and stone, painted on glass and embroidered on of my bus pass (yes, I’ve had one for several years now!) so if your churchyard newsletter and photographs for the Project’s church textiles. It investigates why the subjects were is on a bus route you might just have a visit. chosen, their religious significance and the myths and photographic collection; many of the photographs have Please keep managing your churchyards for wildlife, don’t be discouraged by the ‘tidy’ brigade and do legends associated with them. About 1000 churches been used in talks. They are all credited and copyrighted were visited, there are 156 pages and roughly 256 to the photographer at YWT. continue to make Yorkshire the county of Living Churchyards. Elizabeth coloured images. The Foreword was written by the The clergy of the Yorkshire dioceses without whose Very Revd Keith Jones, formerly Dean of York Minster. support and permission the Project would not have been Elizabeth Hardcastle—Yorkshire Living Churchyard Project Officer Available from Jill at £18 + postage: 01484 545875 or possible. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust 1 St George’s Place YORK YO24 1GN : 01904 659570 possibly from bookshops: ISBN 978-0-9544035-1-5 The YWT staff who have helped in all sorts of ways. PS: A few weeks ago Amazon had one copy at a much Elizabeth higher price so beware! – Elizabeth Yorkshire Living Churchyard Project p3 Autumn 2013 Yorkshire Living Churchyard Project p2 Autumn 2013 ST CATHERINE’S CHURCH BARMBY MOOR YORKSHIRE’S NATURE TRIANGLE . The churchyard, reputedly the largest in East Yorkshire, if not in . is a triangle bounded by the east coast from some of you sent photographs and information the whole of Yorkshire, is managed for wildlife with advice and just above Filey Brigg to Spurn Point, by North about your church and churchyards to be included encouragement from YWT’s Living Churchyard Project. In the south-west corner is a Commonwealth War Graves cemetery, Cave, the Wolds and the River Hull catchment to on the Triangle’s website. Unfortunately before where 56 air-crew are buried. The oldest part of the church is the west and by the Humber estuary to the south. anything was uploaded the volunteer who helped the tower, being of Norman origin. By 1252 there was a YWT has three flagship reserves in the Triangle and the YNT Project Manager moved on, then the dedication to St Catherine and the village had its own vicar. because it has somewhat fluid sides, several Living Project Manager moved on—so here are some of After 18th- and early-19th Century neglect, the nave was rebuilt in Churchyards fall within it. The Triangle seemed an them for you to enjoy—and do have a look at the 1850-52. A few metres south of the main-door is a standing- excellent way to promote them so earlier this year website: www.yorkshirenaturetriangle.com stone (or menhir), which may mark the location of a pre- Christian place of worship. Photograph ©Ken d’Arcy BRIDLINGTON PRIORY CHURCH OF ST MARY Set in Bridlington’s historic Old Town, the Priory churchyard has tended graves and ashes’ plots, short mown areas and paths, hay meadow and a wild area with trees, wood and grass piles and ivy- ST MARY’S CHURCH KIRKBURN The Priory’s peregrine falcon covered headstones.