Our Heritage
Proving that even a small grant – just £15,000- can make a huge difference, the Friends of St Matthew’s have discovered how important the churchyard is in tracing the history of the village, its people and its character.
Ian Philp of The Friends of St Matthews Churchyard said, "The grant’s not only allowed us to make a much tidier, natural environment in the centre of our village but also we’ve now got a graveyard that now feels part of today’s community."
One visitor who attended the Open Churchyard day expressed their gratitude to the group by saying: “Thank you so much for finding not one but two family graves and having a volunteer on hand to strim the area for us to see the words on the headstones.” Another family travelled from Salford to look for evidence and found three plots, one dating back to 1817. Now that information is recorded and available for people to search.
By working together the villagers have created an environmentally enhanced area that local people will be able to enjoy while appreciating the history that has created such a tight-knit community over the centuries.