Barrow’s Cotes Road Cemetery is kept looking really lovely throughout the year. It’s a particular delight in spring and summer when the newly mown bright green grass frames the flowers on the graves and in the beds at the end of the rows. There is a small group of people, who, as members of the Parish Council’s ‘Friends of the Cemetery’ give their time and energy to garden here. Two from this group, in the photograph, are Vivienne Woodhouse and Heather Hoskin. The beardy guy in the middle is Mark Munro, the Parish Council’s contractor and cemetery grounds manager.

Viv got the ball rolling after weeding the memorial to a much-loved Barby (one of Barrow’s old families) relative, her Uncle Charlie. She then noticed all the others needed weeding too and thought it churlish just weeding one. She ended up tidying the whole row! This was over ten years ago and she’s been quietly improving the look of things ever since. However, in 2023 Viv went to the Parish Council, as she realised she needed help, and so ‘The Friends of the Cemetery’ was set up and the gardening work divided up amongst ‘The Friends’. Heather Hoskin was one such volunteer, keen to help as her mother is buried here, and she’d always loved the cemetery. Viv goes for two hours once a week in the summer and Heather when she can, on her days off, as she is a shop manager.

It’s not just removing the weeds and dead flowers. The half-moon beds at the end of the rows, and all the other beds, were made by Viv and the plants you see in them she grew from seed. Both Viv and Heather, in different ways, feel they are caring for people in death they loved in life. When Heather’s mother was ill, Barrow people were so good to them she wanted to give back something to the village. They also love being around when nice things happen such as people from the village visiting and chatting for a while, or when a bride, with brand new husband in tow, comes to put her bouquet on her granny’s grave. Another strong attraction is the sense of being amongst nature, hearing the birdsong and seeing the loveliness of the view as you look across countryside towards Beacon Hill.

This cemetery and small Victorian chapel on the site were built in the mid-1890s, after the cemetery surrounding Holy Trinity Church became full. The first person to be buried here was Mrs Fanny Jacques in 1895. With your back to the gate, her grave is very near to the chapel on the left-hand side at the end of the row. The small headstone still exists but is difficult to read.

The gardener, Mark, knows Viv and Heather well and he too loves the place so much he calls it his baby! Apart from cutting the vast amounts of grass he trims the yews and hedges and does a multitude of little things to add to the attractive appearance of the cemetery and its smooth running. The many bird boxes you can see in the trees were put up by him and he was gratified to find that each one had the remains of a nest inside when they were inspected last year. So, thank you very much Viv, Heather, Mark and the other volunteers for doing such a wonderful job – the village owes you a lot.

Gaynor Barton with thanks to Alice Gardam and Helen Duxbury of Barrow Parish Council