Over the last few weeks, the team have had conversations about finding some volunteer work locally. Jess was set the task of finding a few different dates and areas that were accessible for us.
After some research, Jess came across a locally organised volunteer group that was taking place at The Cemetery on Mill Road. Myself (Ceylon) & Jess decided that this worked with our work schedules and decided to go for it.
Mill Road Cemetery was created in 1848. It is now full and maintained as a Churchyard and open space by Cambridge City Council. It is an English Heritage Grade II listed site, with several listed monuments and war graves.
We caught the bus from the office to Mill Road and walked into the Cemetery, albeit a few minutes late! We were greeted by a lovely group of people who told us the main aim and explained the risks associated with the area.
The action plan for the day was to find the three patches of Alexander plant that were in the area and to control/remove it. This type of plant is non-native and can rapidly take over grassland areas which is why it is so important to keep it at bay.
We soon got to work and managed to remove a large amount of the plant. There was so much! We spoke to a few people who told us that there hadn’t been much upkeep there since COVID which is why it was overgrown. The Cemetery, although it isn't a nature reserve, is treated like one due to the extensive wildlife.
Whilst working through a very large patch of Alexander plant, Jess discovered an old grave stone underneath. We managed to dig around it and figure out the name carved on the front. Hopefully this can be restored once again. There is more information on Mill Road Cemetery website.
Helping the local community is something we, as a team, enjoy and actively take part in. We are always on the lookout for more volunteer work.
This was organised by Cambridge City Council. Details can be found below if you would like to get involved
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