St Paul’s would like to say a big thank you to all the Friends of Chipperfield
Churchyard who give their time or their money to maintain the churchyard. We
appreciate the generosity of those villagers who contribute regularly to the cost of the churchyard, sharing this with the Parish Council and members of St Paul’s. We are
very grateful for their gifts.
One ongoing volunteer project that was started last year is the repair of the churchyard wall – a major project and a costly one, if contracted out. This has been made possible by professionals Chris and Derek from West Herts Building College, teaching the volunteer team and regularly leading and being part of that team.
Volunteers have helped with major tree works, another considerable saving, and others
have taken on small plots in the garden which is very helpful. Another volunteer fixes
the plaques in the memorial garden and another updates both notice boards. The shed has been removed and we are considering the original plans for making this a quiet area, but this and other plans do depend on finance being available. We also need a new shed or storage area away from the church.
There is a continual need for repair, painting and upgrade of gates, benches and notice
boards, much of which would have been contracted out in the past at significant cost,
but is now included in gardener Kevin’s winter programme. He also works as a volunteer on the wall project and we thank him for all his hard work. During the summer he has no time for anything other than mowing and strimming, so there are always jobs for volunteers wishing to help.
Finally, our thanks would not be complete without a big thank you to John Stickland
who looks after the Churchyard as well as the Church building. John gives a great
deal of his time, voluntarily, planning and co-ordinating all the work and often as part of the volunteer teams.
We are always looking for new volunteers, particularly to join the wall team or adopt
a small part of the gardens. If you would like to help as a volunteer please contact John Stickland on 01442 832090 and if you wish to contribute to costs please contact me on 01923 262468
Thank you. Janet Cornell