Derelict churchyard in Todmorden transformed by volunteers

The Friends of Christ Church have been working on the project, on Burnley Road, for 21 months.

One of the group’s aims was to create a resource to help young people understand local history, the people of the area and the stories that their lives created.

The group said in a statement: "We started the project in August 2022 and it's ongoing, we joked at the beginning that it was a five-year plan but now say that each year seems to restart the five year count!

"We've cleared brambles and ivy that were choking and damaging graves, and the council helped by sending in tree surgeons to remove some self-seeded trees that were causing many of the vaulted graves to become seriously unsafe.

"We've been concentrating since then on levelling subsidence over older graves so it's easier for people to get around, and once that's done we'll be introducing some "rewilding" areas where wildflowers can grow undisturbed while not blocking access to the graves themselves.

"Volunteers from Incredible Edible Todmorden help our volunteers out on alternate Sundays and they help us to keep things tidy and clean.

"We're still removing brush from the initial clearance and they've been very helpful with that.

"Anyone is welcome to join us though, and we have 80 year olds and five year olds who attend and plant bulbs or wash graves or take litter away; it's about the connections with each other and it offers a way for people to engage with grief and dying at a pace or depth that suits them, whether alone or with company.

"We get the most positive feedback from the family members of people buried here who felt unsafe previously in trying to get to those family graves, who can now visit and look after them since we've done the hardest bit of work and all they now need to do is maintain the space.

"We also have an "adopt-a-grave" scheme so volunteers can offer to maintain a grave with no living family members, and they also sometimes will research the people buried there and contribute to the website with what they've discovered.

"We've also had feedback from our themed tours for adults, when we take groups around and talk about individuals buried here who all have something in common, that they've helped people think differently about death or about a particular issue, or helped them to find a way to address a particular trauma."

The Friends of Christ Church welcomed the first set of school children into the yard earlier this month, who were told stories of various World War One and World War Two combatants who are commemorated there.

"They were enthralled,” said a group spokesperson. “They haven’t stopped talking about the yard, they loved it. They have told other kids at school the stories, other kids now want to visit the yard, hear more stories.”