Bodenham St Michael’s and All Angels Church scything

The expert group were assembled at Bodenham’s St Michael’s and All Angels Church to traditionally cut the burial ground’s grass.

The scything took place to maintain the wild meadows (Image: ROB DAVIES)

Organiser of the event and member of Bodenham Churches’ graveyard maintenance team ‘The Yard Birds’, Sue Hack, said the traditional event “went really well”, with everyone chipping in and doing their bit.

The group of volunteers at St Michael's and All Angels (Image: ROB DAVIES)

Supported by trained volunteers from Caring for God’s Acre, anyone had the chance to have a go and learn how to scythe. The Caring for God’s Acre volunteers joins the community in their great scything efforts three times a year “to train the locals up to be able to do it themselves,” said Ms Hack.

The event really brought the community together (Image: ROB DAVIES)

Continuing with community events based at the church, Ms Hack talked about plans to hold a bug house building day for children to promote nature in the wildflower-covered patch of land and to hold another scything session in the Autumn.

The scything was a huge success! (Image: ROB DAVIES)

Whilst scything wildflowers might seem brutal to some, it’s known to have many benefits for encouraging new, healthy growth in plants. According to passionate scythesman Richard Brown’s website, “scythes are historically what first gave rise to flower rich meadows, and I believe offer the key to understanding and managing these special grassland habitats.”

ALSO READ:

• World-famous Herefordshire FISH sold to Leominster business
• Hereford man ordered to pay more than £170,000... or face more jail time
• Why this Herefordshire hotel is selling invisible chips

Maintaining a meadow is thirsty work; volunteer Leigh Harling-Bowen takes a breather! (Image: ROB DAVIES)

Caring for God’s Acre began as “a small Shropshire-based initiative in 1997 after being inspired by the National Living Churchyard and Cemetery Project,” says the charity’s website. “Many burial sites are managed by a few volunteers who are keen to preserve both the monuments and the wildlife but want guidance on how best to achieve this.

A volunteer collecting cut meadow grass at Bodenham Church. (Image: ROB DAVIES)

“Our input can help them to preserve rare species of plants and wildflowers and we advise on management of grassland to encourage wildlife whilst still allowing access to visitors and relatives.

“Issues such as lichen on gravestones and monuments falling into disrepair are also part of our remit and we run a telephone and email advice service for burial ground managers, signposting to other experts if required”.