Churchyard Management Plan
Provisional dates for Conservation Area work parties this year:
14th April 2012
9 or 16 September (ditto)
23 September
7 October
These are of course subject to the weather, the progress of the seasons and hence the growth rate of the grass. And as always, Freddie welcomes any help on Saturday afternoons (and sometimes during the week) with the regular mowing of the Amenity Areas.
It was a great joy last year to have so many people both involved in churchyard work and really enjoying the wild flowers, butterflies, slow worms and birds . The second year of a scheme like this may have slightly less 'novelty value' than the first, but I'm sure with each year we will see more of the fruits (and the flowers!) of our labours.
I realise people's plans and availability vary each year, but any help you can give, no matter how long or short a time, would be most appreciated. Please let us know (for catering) if you can make 31 March.
Churchyard Interpretation Boards:
We are extremely grateful to Raymond for making two magnificent interpretation boards for the churchyard. These explain to visitors how and why it is being managed for amenity and conservation, showing the layout and some of the wildlife people can expect to see.
Churchyard Work Party:
On 9th April 2011, we started the first phase of Churchyard Management.
Many thanks to all who did a sterling job in the Churchyard - it looks great!
Photos of the action can be viewed here.
The next planned Work Parties are Saturdays 17th and 24th September - Open to all - Further details nearer the date.
Churchyard Management Plan (August 2011 Revision)
(PDF file - requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) - 
Introduction
St Thomas à Becket church, serving Framfield, Blackboys and Palehouse Common, is blessed with a wonderful churchyard. To many people whose families live or have lived in the parish, the churchyard is a very special place; somewhere to visit the graves of loved ones or ancestors, a peaceful place for quiet reflection, and perhaps to enjoy the wildlife, especially in spring and summer. Since wildlife in the wider countryside is under increasing pressure from human activity, the fact that the churchyard is protected from development gives a real opportunity to conserve wildlife.
If carefully managed in harmony with the churchyard’s original purpose for burial, there need be no conflict between these functions. Indeed for most people, the wild flowers, butterflies, birds, slow worms and other wildlife add interest and a sense of tranquillity to their walk through the churchyard.
But as with any multifunctional site, appropriate planning is necessary for the churchyard to meets all its objectives. The Framfield Parochial Church Council (PCC) has agreed that the onerous task of trying to keep the whole churchyard mown as short grass could be made much simpler, and wildlife could be better protected, by zoning the churchyard according to where its different functions are best served. (A similar approach is now adopted by hundreds of other UK churches. Sussex has many churchyards where wildlife conservation forms part of the management regime, for example Buxted, East Hoathly, Hadlow Down, Steyning, Shoreham, Brighton, Ebernoe, Warburton and Bignor.)
Clearly if the different churchyard zones are to be cared for appropriately, a detailed Management Plan is needed; such a Plan has now been drafted. We realise the final Plan will only work with support not just of church people but also of the wider community, so the Draft Management Plan is posted on this website for you to read, and we welcome your comments and suggestions.
In particular we also welcome any offers of help in putting it into practice. We hope that having a clear Schedule of Work for each month will encourage more of you to volunteer, however little time you can spare (not necessarily every month but preferably regularly, so that work can be planned). We also hope that, as many other churches have discovered, the work parties will be a fun way for people to get to know their local churchyard, meet up with others who care about wildlife, and learn more about conservation.
Read the plan here (PDF requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
