Stamford Town Council climate action group says Stamford Cemetery is an example of action being taken at a small scale to improve the environment

Environmental issues are by their nature global, but actions taken at the local level can have a real and meaningful impact, writes David Scammell, chairman of finance at Stamford Town Council.

One only has to visit the town cemetery - an asset owned and managed solely by the town council - to see what can be achieved.

The cemetery is a dedicated and sacred place of burial. It is a poignant place of remembrance and reflection and serves to respect the dead and those that are grieving.

It is also a very large managed green space, rich in biodiversity of plants and animals. It is unique in terms of its size and the fact that for well over 150 years the grounds have been relatively undisturbed, quiet with consistent usage and largely free of fertilisers and pesticides. It is home to rare and protected wildflowers such as Martin’s Ramping Fumitory and Meadow Saxifrage, whilst kites nest in the trees.

The architecture also forms a natural home for lichens, mosses and ferns. In essence, it has served over time as an “ark” for many species and habitats, and has even contributed to the collection held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Careful management of the grass, mature trees, hedges and paths has always featured but there is now an increasing awareness of the need to further protect the native species. One measure that we have undertaken is to ensure that there are sufficient “wildlife corridors”. These corridors are essential in that they link areas of habitat, Examples include holes for the passage of hedgehogs and climbers in the hedgerows in order to provide food and shelter for birds and insects.

Other initiatives taken this year were the designation of an unused area for wildflowers and the planting, with the help of community groups, of 850 native hedge saplings along the top boundary fence.

As to further measures, one suggestion is to reduce the usage of single-use plastic and floral foam by allowing only natural flowers and foliage to be placed upon the graves. The argument is that artificial flowers become brittle over time, crumble into microplastics which contaminate the ground and kill wildlife. A tough decision but our individual actions do have consequences - we must do our best to preserve the ark!