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St David’s Church in Rhymney is looking for volunteers to help make its graveyard a “space to breathe”. 

After receiving funding from Gwent Green Grid, the church is putting on a number of sessions this year in an effort to make the church grounds a space for nature which people can come and enjoy. 

The first session is taking place on March 4 and people of all ages can come along and get involved, according to Rev Matt Davis. 

“We’ve had some funding in for sessions this year,” said Rev Matt, and referring to the first session said, “[there are] activities for everyone.”

This includes clearing brambles, marking graves, building insect hides or making seed bombs. 

“Look for creepy crawlies as a five-year-old,” added Matt or if you’re a little older come along and “sit on a bench for a while.”

Soup and snacks will be provided along with tools – though people are welcome to bring their own hand tools if they have some.

St David’s is a closed graveyard and receives no funding from the council. This means maintenance is more difficult, according to Rev Matt.  

“We need to manage it well,” added Matt, “[We] want it to be in keeping with the area.”

The voluntary sessions are part of a larger plan to revamp the graveyard and make it a peaceful place that people in the area can use. 

Other sessions throughout the year may include an evening session where people can come and learn about bats and a bio blitz – where members of the public and scientists come together to document a snapshot of biodiversity in a specific area.

It’s all for the community in the long term, to make the graveyard an “other place”, somewhere to find out about the local history or to come and find peace – even if it’s a little unorthodox.

As Rev Matt said the idea is to make the grounds “a good place for people to be.”

The first volunteer session will take place at St David’s Church on March 4 between 10am and 12pm.

St David’s Church is located at 119 High Street, Rhymney and can be contacted on 01495 722672.