Oundle Town Council Volunteer Cemetery Wardens Scheme

As well as being a resting place for loved ones, Oundle cemetery is a window into our past, an important area of green space for residents, and area of ecological importance.

Oundle Town Council (OTC) launches its volunteer Cemetery Warden scheme in 2022, with an aim of enhancing and embedding the cemetery space within the whole community.

Cemetery Wardens will improve the condition of the cemetery environment, through trimming, pruning and clearance, in partnership with the OTC Estates team and the NNC Community Payback Team. They can also be ambassadors for the site, seeking to inform, educate and involve the local community and work with OTC. There will also be opportunities to help map out the existing graves and plots ready to add to our digital mapping system. The scheme will work with other groups that have an interest in ecology, heritage and conservation.

Those wishing to train and become Cemetery Wardens will have an interest in nature conservation, the landscape, heritage and the community – as this scheme intends to seek to bring together these diverse concerns. There will be a large degree of autonomy and self-reliance, but also the need to work as part of the OTC team. They will come under the immediate remit of our Estates Officer, but will also have a reporting link to the Estates Team.

Wardens will be expected to attend the cemetery regularly on a weekly or rota basis to keep an eye on, recommend and help with ongoing maintenance, and help with the digital mapping project. We're also keen to enhance links with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The scheme welcomes people of all faiths, or none, to take part in this ongoing project. All those completing a short free training course will be volunteers of OTC but will be able to access a small annual grant to help cover costs such as travel, work gloves, some tools etc; and insured by OTC. We're looking for more than one person so if you are a group who are interested please get in touch.

If you're interested please contact the office at admin@oundle.gov.uk