## **Friends of Wombwell Cemetery C.I.O. 1156569 1[st] April 2020 – 31[st] March 2021 Written Account** 

The period covered by this report became very difficult due to the onset of the COVID-19  virus  outbreak.  Volunteering,  events,  and  fundraising  had  to  be cancelled. The Friends made every effort to pursue their main aim which is to ‘create  a  cleaner,  greener,  safer  cemetery  for  those  having  lawful  business there’, even though this became very challenging at times. 

Notices were pinned on our doors and around the cemetery explaining that we had to close, but if we needed to be contacted then this could be done via social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and our website. 

Volunteers taking their exercise period for the day did this by walking alone around the cemetery. The first thing which was noticed was an increase in litter, bottles, cans, and masks being dropped and not placed in the numerous litter bins available around the cemetery. Dog fouling increased and volunteers had the unpleasant task of cleaning up after dog owners, much of which was on graves. An increase in crime in general became apparent, so this, along with the dog fouling, was reported to the appropriate authorities. 

In July, although our Community Hub remained closed, we were approached by the South Area Team who asked if the Hub could be used as a base for struggling families to collect fruit and vegetable boxes. These were funded by FareShare and Wombwell Ward Alliance. A risk assessment was completed, track and trace forms  were  available  and  completed,  and  social  distancing  posters  were displayed. We were provided with a hand sanitiser dispenser which was funded by the Wombwell Ward Alliance and placed at the door to be used on arrival before entering the facility. The fruit and vegetable boxes were given out once in July and twice in August. 

The situation became a little better in September and we were allowed to hold our Heritage Open Day events which were held over the weekend of 11[th] and 12[th] September 2020. Limited visitors were allowed inside the Community Hub at one time to view the displays. A few displays were also placed outside, and seating was provided. Luckily the weather stayed warm and dry for the event. The event was a huge success and was enjoyed by all. Our event was featured in The Guardian Online, was a featured case study on the Heritage Open Days website, also making the HODs 2021 New Year’s Honours list. 

In December, the Community Hub became a collection base again for handing out Christmas holiday activity packs for children. This was also the case in March for Easter holiday activity packs. All packs were funded by the Wombwell Ward Alliance and organised by the South Area Team. 

To  conclude  the  report  for  this  year,  the  Friends  of  Wombwell  Cemetery submitted online entries to various awards. The group achieved three certificates in total which were ‘Recognition from Yorkshire in Bloom 2020’, ‘Yorkshire in 



Bloom Neighbourhood Digital Award of Achievement 2021’, and ‘More Than Just A Cemetery, Best of Yorkshire 2021 Certificate of Excellence and Covid Resilience Award’ from Yorkshire in Bloom. 



## **Friends of Wombwell Cemetery** 

|**Statement of Accounts from 1**|**st**<br>|**April 2020 to 31**<br>**st**<br>**March 2021**|**April 2020 to 31**<br>**st**<br>**March 2021**|
|---|---|---|---|
|**HSBC Account**||||
|Balance as of 1stApril 2020|||£5,810.70|
|Balance as of 31stMarch 2021|||£   210.70|
|HSBC Account no 22100290 (1stApril 2020)|||£       7.93|
|HSBC Account no 22100290 (31stMarch|2021)||£        7.93|
|**Barnsley Building Society**||||
|Balance as of 1stApril 2020|||£4,900.00|
|Balance as of 31stMarch 2021|||£4,900.00|
|**Yorkshire Bank**||||
|Balance as of 1stApril 2020|||£7,918.39|
|Balance as of 31stMarch 2021|||£7,981.17|
|**Cash**||||
|Cash held as of 1stApril 2020|||£        0.00|
|Cash held as of 31stMarch 2021|||£   170.10|
|**Fund Raising and Donations**||||
|General fund raising and donations|||£293.00|
|Donation (Helen Wood)|||£ 20.00|
|Neighbourhood Watch|||£ 62.78|
|**Total**|||£ 375.78|
|**Expenditure**||||
|Monies owing to BMBC from 2020||||
|£1,700.00||||





M A Wilson (Baby Memorial Work) £3,900.00 Scottish Water                                                 £ 122.90 Nat Fed Cemeteries                                        £ 20.00 Business Rates (BMBC)                                    £ 532.48 **Total** £6,275.38 

## **Total Funds Available as of 31st March 2021** 

HSBC                                                                                                               £ 218.63 

Barnsley Building Society £4,900.00 Yorkshire Bank £7,448.69 

Cash                                                                                                                £ 170.10 

**Total** £12,737.42