It’s been a few months since the last newsletter [see Late summer 2025 newsletter] and with the end of the year almost upon us, it seems a good time to look back on what the Cherishing Sidmouth Cemeteries project has been up to.
As always, the project is about respecting both those laid to rest and the living nature of these peaceful places.
And so the CSC working party have continued with their clearing graves at Sidmouth Cemetery [for example, the Cole family] so that loved ones and archivists have proper access – and also with their clearing brambles at the Cemetery so that other things have a chance to grow and flourish.
When it comes to the archives, there is a new online record of graves for Sidmouth and Sidbury Cemeteries now available at the district council – and although there have been teething problems with the new system, members of the CSC are in touch with the council team and hope to build on this next year.
As for increasing biodiversity beyond the brambles, the volunteers have been happy to see ragwort flourishing in Sidmouth Cemetery – a plant which indicates ‘unimproved meadowland’. And in parallel to encouraging wildflowers, the working party have been planting up the Cemetery beds with a more ornamental set of flowers, as provided by the district council’s horticultural officer.
But the CSC volunteers are not the only group helping to restore Sidmouth Cemetery to something less neglected and better managed. In the autumn, the Sidmouth Scouts lent another helping hand, after their wonderful stint last year. They not only tackled the dreaded brambles in the older part of the cemetery, but they also raked up a huge area of grass cut two weeks before – which has been really helpful.
This is the major issue facing the Cemetery: the district council does not have the resources and staff to properly put into place the EDDC Management Plan 2021-25. And the CSC working party also do not have enough members to be able to deal with all the cutting back and raking that needs to be done. In their report to the town council’s environment committee earlier this month, the group made a couple of proposals for managing the situation.
And now it’s been decided there’ll be a meeting with the district council in February to progress the project.
For a look at the whole of the year, do have a look at the Cherishing Sidmouth Cemeteries annual report 2025 from the CSC steering group: it makes good reading!
And finally, the CSC team were very pleased to receive Christmas wishes from the chair of the town council, where they were thanked for all their work over the year and given best wishes for their continued work into next year.
So, thank you to the working party of the Cherishing Sidmouth Cemeteries, to the district council’s horticultural officer, to the town council and to the many members of the public and donors – who have all contributed to making this important part of Sidmouth’s heritage and natural history a little more special.
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