Fpc newsletter winter 2016 7

Ford Park Cemetery Trust Winter Newsletter 2017

New Year greetings from all at the Ford Park Cemetery Trust.

CHRISTMAS EVENTS 2016 We ended 2016 with a number of Christmas events. On 26th November we held our Christmas Fayre with its usual mix of stands and refreshments. It has always been one of our principal fund-raising events, and last year was no exception with a tremendous total of £1149 raised.

Because of the demand for tickets there were two Carol Services held on Wednesday 7th December, one in the afternoon, the other in the evening, both supported by the Hyde Park School Choir.

These services brought in a combined total of £580. The Christmas raffle winners were drawn by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Pauline Murphy after our first “Carols around the Christmas Tree” event on 14th December.

The Laira Youth Band kindly provided the musical

accompaniment.

The profit from the raffle was £937. None of these events would have been possible without the hard work of the Trust’s volunteers, and we would like to record our grateful thanks to all those involved.

NEW HERITAGE TRAIL The Cemetery, like much of Plymouth itself, is not flat and easy to negotiate, particularly for those with impaired mobility. This year we hope to publish a new Heritage Trail booklet which is specifically designed to be wheelchair and buggy friendly. It will bring together some of the stories and characters from the two previous Heritage Trails, together with new, previously unpublished information.

GROUNDS MAINTENANCE We are committed to providing a safe environment for visitors through an ongoing programme of monument and tree inspections.

The rolling programme of five yearly monument inspections is carried out in-house, but our trees are regularly inspected by a qualified arboriculturist. Nature however, does not always conform to schedules, and on one Saturday morning in September we found a large branch had unexpectedly broken from a beech tree overnight. Thanks to our contractors at Arborcure this was cleared within a very short time and we were able to open the processional drive to weekend visitors.

EXHIBITIONS This year there will be three exhibitions held in the Visitor Centre. The first, running from 16th April to 4th June is “Crime and Punishment.” This will look at crimes in Plymouth in the 19th and 20th centuries, and how the justice system dealt with the perpetrators. From 24th June to 6th August we will be tracing the history of the Cemetery itself, from its first burial in 1848 through to the present day, in an exhibition entitled “Ford Park Cemetery – Then and Now”. Finally there will be “Old Plymouth” which will compare the pre-war City’s land and buildings to the way things look today. This exhibition commences on 26th August and runs through until 22nd October.

There will be walks associated with each of these exhibitions. Details can be found in our 2017 Programme of Events.

DID YOU KNOW? When the Cemetery opened in 1848 it was outside the Plymouth town boundary. The Company had to construct a road to the Cemetery Lodge, from just about where the Pennycomequick roundabout is today. What is now Central Park Avenue was then Cemetery Road. It was originally planted with a row of lime trees which cost £30.

WHAT TO SEE A recent arrival in Plymouth has been a flock of Ringnecked Parakeets. Although originating from Asia, a feral population of these exotic looking birds exists in this country, and they are now spreading out from their base in the south-east. Early morning or late evening gives the best chance, and the north-west corner of the Cemetery is most favoured. There have also been up to four female pheasants seen in the same area.

More wildlife can be seen by joining one of our nature walks. For early risers, on Saturday, April 29th at 5 a.m. we have the chance to hear the birds of the Dawn Chorus. It can be quite magical, listening to bird song in the middle of a busy city, as the dawn breaks. Plants and insects, including butterflies, will be to the fore on our Summer Wildlife Walk on Saturday 17th June, and a week later on 24th, Wild about Plymouth will be bringing their experts to see what mini beasts can be found on a Bug Hunt.

If the creatures of the night intrigue you, why not come along to our Bat and Moth Walk on Friday 1st September.

Birdwatchers love to come to Ford Park Cemetery, especially in autumn when Redwings and Mistle Thrushes feast on the berries of Yew, Hawthorn and Holly, and we have our own Autumn Bird Walk on Saturday 18th November.

Full details are in the Calendar of Events. There really is so much to see here, and you don’t need to have any prior knowledge or expertise, just come along and enjoy the nature.

VISITOR CENTRE For some time we have been experiencing difficulty with the flooring in the Visitor Centre.

Perhaps related to temperature and humidity, some of the beech panels had expanded, causing the floor to buckle. We have tried to alleviate this by having these panels trimmed and re -laid, but this winter, you may have seen if you visited for one of our Christmas events, the situation became really bad. As the Visitor Centre has been closed for the winter, we have taken advantage of this and removed the beech panels, and now have a new composite floor in place for the new season which starts in March.

BREAK-IN You may have seen in the local press that we unfortunately experienced a break in over the New Year period, during which a small cash tin, a camera and a laptop were taken from the office. The laptop contained important grave records so that was a more of a loss than the intrinsic value of the item itself. A kind supporter has since offered us a replacement. The disruption and inconvenience however cannot be overstressed, with locks having to be replaced and windows and doors repaired - an awful and upsetting incident for all our hard working staff and volunteers.

PORTACABIN If you have been to the Cemetery recently you may have noticed a change behind the Visitor Centre. The Trust has purchased a second hand, good condition, portacabin to replace the old containers which were used for storage, but which were getting towards the end of their useful life. We are currently discussing how we can get the best use from this new addition.

FUND RAISING UPDATES In the run up to Christmas the Visitor Centre was a hive of activity with a band of volunteers making wreaths from holly and yew trees, which we have in abundance around the grounds.

Originally started many years ago by Jean Northey, one of our trustees, the income from this scheme is a welcome boost for Trust funds. Without the volunteer’s hard work we could not have achieved this year’s total of £1,670 profit.

Thanks to your continued donations of items, our bric-a brac table in the office foyer has now brought in a total of £3,350. The amount from supporters contributing to the Trust through the Easyfundraising website is £236. With more of us shopping on line this is an easy way to raise much-needed funds to support the Trust. It costs nothing to join the scheme. Just go to their website at www.easyfundraising.org.uk to find out more. ***** We have an exciting programme of events lines up for 2017. Please come and support us if you can.