It was the congregation arriving for the 10.30 Thursday service on 13th April who were the first to discover a large fallen Turkey Oak on the western side of the churchyard at St Nicholas’ on the border with the Bishop’s Lodge.  The tree had come down in high winds overnight and we were hugely thankful that nobody – visitors or volunteers – had been injured. Although there was not much damage to gravestones, the fallen tree required urgent management to address the risk and allow people to continue to safely visit the graves of their loved ones in this area.

When expertly assessed, it became clear that an adjacent conifer had been destabilized and would also need to be removed for safety purposes. A few hours of professional work, a bill for £456, and many more hours of volunteer labour saw us with a beautiful woodpile and we are delighted that our new team of Churchyard volunteers led by Sexton Jason Watts are transforming and reclaiming the churchyard for everyone to enjoy.

Classes of school children and “ancestor hunters” were once again able to visit safely and explore among the snowdrops and daffodils that appear here every Spring. If you would be interested in helping our churchyard volunteers, please contact Jason on sexton@worthparish.org Alternatively, you can donate to the upkeep of the churchyard, by scanning this QR Code.