Gardening The Grounds | Princetown Churchyard Maintenance Fund

Gardening the Grounds PCMF are working closely with David Curry from the Diocese of Exeter to develop the churchyard in an environmentally friendly way. Plans include installing bug and hedgehog hotels in the newly cleared wooded area. This will be planted with bluebells, and they hope to raise funds for a bench amongst the trees so visitors can relax and soak up the peace. They are delighted to already have resident hedgehogs, and, in the freshly built bird boxes kindly donated by Gary of the team, there will soon be nesting chicks to see.

They are also working with Emma Byrom from Princetown Primary School to involve the children in planting seeds, growing mini-meadows of wildflowers to attract pollinators. In the summer, they will complete the Devon Living Churchyards Survey, learning about the amazing variation of species they have.

The Gardening the Grounds team will complete the Survey twice a year, a fascinating challenge helping them to know exactly what flora and fauna thrive in the churchyard, and enabling them to encourage diversity and protect those rarer species they are honoured to have, such as Marsh Orchids.

Whilst encouraging local wildlife, they aim to create a diversity of habitats. The churchyard is a precious village amenity, and a welcoming place for visitors to explore. With this in mind, they will also develop focal points of red poppies and lashings of spring bulbs. Aromatic Biblical herbs will grace the main doors to the church, and sturdy shrubs will bring colour to the church gates. Pillar and climbing roses have been planted to honour the graves of the French and American Prisoners of War. Shortly-mown pathways meander their winding way through the longer grass, intentionally left to allow wildflowers to thrive and flower in abundance.

Whilst maintaining the perimeter isn’t strictly within their remit, they have gained Diocese permissions and their enthusiastic, generous volunteers plan to repaint the stunning Grade ii listed entrance gates, as well as repairing the 5-bar gate into Jubilee Field and relaying the main path with fresh aggregate.

They are unendingly fortunate to have a team from the Probation Service Community Payback, who now attend the grounds every four weeks to mow, strim, weed and tidy, working tirelessly yet happily, and so to Neille Adler and the team they extend their special thanks.

All works are funded by charitable donation. If you would like to contribute, or ask more details, please contact Hazel Williams, Chair of Gardening the Grounds at [email protected], 07810 371036.