St James' Wildlife Conservation Group

The Living Churchyard Project
The Dorset Living Churchyard Project was founded in 1996 with the aims of supporting and enhancing the wildlife habitat in Churchyards and Cemeteries but not losing sight of the primary purpose of these special places.
The project is sponsored by The Bishop of Salisbury and Dorset Wildlife Trust and this year there were 32 Churchyards participating. St James' Wildlife Conservation Group take care of the churchyard and cemetery at St James' in Milton Abbas (approximately 3 acres) and this year achieved the top accolade in the Living Churchyard Project in Dorset, 'The Bishops Prize'.Denis Lynch, the Chairman of the Group, believes that this success is borne from the groups strategy to reduce soil fertility and thus encourage dormant native species of flora on which the bees, butterflies etc. rely on for their foraging. This is being achieved by intensive strimming and rake/removal of grass on a 3-week cycle throughout the growing season. 'After just two seasons it is delightful to see the progress of the recovery of native flora' As a consequence this strategy will be extended this season to include the 0.75 acres of set-aside in the Cemetery, with a view to reducing soil fertility in 2 to 3 years time, suitable for sowing a wild flower meadow. In addition the Group have undertaken the following measures to help the wildlife habitat:-cleared unattended graves and sown native plants and flowers developed a bee and butterfly garden in the Upper Churchyard created dedicated log, brushwood and grass piles as natural habitat erected bird/bat and owl boxes together with solitary bee boxes and bee logs. The Group have identified a number of areas within the Cemetery where volunteers are encouraged to develop their own specific wildlife areas thus giving the community at large the opportunity to participate. Support for the students from Milton Abbey School with their Duke of Edinburgh Awards is also an important aspect of the work. This year the Group involved the students in establishing access steps to the Upper Churchyard and also strimming, raking and digging projects in the Cemetery. St James' Wildlife Conservation Group are delighted to have the opportunity to foster and enhance the wildlife habitat at St James in Milton Abbas.