‘It was like a jungle’: Volunteers unite to tidy Cleckheaton cemetery and spruce up six Commonwealth War Graves
A band of volunteers have been coming together every weekend to help tidy what was an “overgrown and unsightly” cemetery in Cleckheaton.
Action at Cleckheaton Old Cemetery, on Whitcliffe Road, commenced six weeks ago after a number of complaints about the state of the unkept site were raised, including reports that graves couldn’t be seen and that the overgrown pathway that runs to the Peaseland Road entrance was making people “anxious” to walk through it.
“It was like a jungle,” confirmed Sarah Clarke of community group The Old Cemetery Volunteers.
“If you stood at the front gates you couldn’t see to the other end. Now you can see straight through and people are commenting on how good it looks and congratulating us. It’s lovely as you feel like you are doing something useful.”
The weekly mission, with the group meeting every Saturday morning at 9.30am for an hour, has seen six Commonwealth War Graves from World War One cleaned and restored.
“Four are of the traditional white stone,” Sarah revealed. “The other two are private ones paid for by family. We are still uncovering graves. We have found two others - one from World War One and one from World War Two - where they are not buried there but they are commemorated there on a family grave.”
Thanking the other volunteers, Sarah said: “It is a rolling group. People attend when they can. Not all the work required is heavy graft and there are lighter tasks available. Any help is greatly appreciated.”
A future quest for the group will be to look cat how the cemetery’s Grade II-listed chapel - referred to locally as The Temple - can be restored and reopened.