It may not have been mentioned in the Bible’s original seven day plan but Huddersfield residents have certainly created a green and pleasant land.
Maybe a divine force was at play when the team of eight Kirkburton residents won the seal of approval this month from the national Green Flag community award, after transforming the overgrown All Hallows churchyard into the area’s own mini paradise.
It is the ninth consecutive accolade for the churchyard, which confirms it meets a national standard for quality parks and green spaces.
And it is the only churchyard in Yorkshire and the North East to ever win the mark of excellence, thanks to the work of the team for the last 12 years.
Visitors to the rural idyll on Shelley Lane, will find it has turned it from a dark, weed ridden site into a haven for sun-lovers and wildlife.
One of the volunteers, John Draper, who lives in Kirk Lea was one of the original members who came together.
Now retired, he used his skills as a former gardener for Kirklees Council to lead the makeover.
He said: “We’re all very proud of it.
“We decided that something had to be done to make it a nicer place for the community after my wife, Mandy, lost her stepfather in 1996.
“A lot of people come to find their ancestors in the churchyard but it was so overgrown it was hard to get to some of the graves.”
He, Mandy and other members, including church workers, set about removing the weeds and spreading seeds to bring the yard back to life.
The site now boasts over 40 types of wildflowers and numerous new trees, which provide homes to the area’s wildlife.
John, 64, said: “It’s for wildlife and it’s a place for people to relax.”
They are looking for more green-fingered volunteers to help them keep the park a special place for future visitors.
