Friends of Zion Graveyard Attercliffe
Charitable Incorporated Organisation No. 1188411
Registered Office 132 Wincobank Avenue, Sheffield S5 6 BB
Trustees Annual Report for the period from 1[st] November 2023 to 31[st] October 2024
Trustees:
Penny Rea (Chair), Samantha Hurman (Secretary), Jean Hine (Treasurer), Peter Hurman, Mick Bruin, Amanda Appleby
Organising Committee : Alison Davies, Sylvia Jones, Bridget Ingle, all Trustees
Additional Volunteers: Chris Bullock, Mike Higginbottom, Paul Newman, Angela Muircroft, Carolyn Gowar, Jo Ward.
Governance
The committee, which includes trustees, meets every quarter usually by Zoom, to plan developments and organise activities. Any enthusiastic volunteer is welcome to join the committee.
Decisions are made by consensus, with trustees having ultimate responsibility.
The trustees appoint new trustees, usually from the committee. The trustees meet in person at least once a year.
Objects of the Trust
For the public benefit:
(a) to upkeep and maintain the cemetery known as Zion Graveyard, Attercliffe, Sheffield;
(b) to advance the education of the local community and others in the history of the graveyard and those buried in it, including Mary Anne Rawson; and
(c) the preservation and conservation of the natural heritage and biodiversity of Zion Graveyard, Attercliffe, Sheffield.
Annual Report
Object 1. Upkeep and maintenance
An important aim is to improve the paths especially access from Lawrence Street. We are grateful to Ian Prior who has assisted us by drawing a formal plan and Sylvia Jones who found a potential contractor. So far, we have been unable to obtain quotes for this work as contractors seem unwilling to engage with such a
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small and unusual site especially as access is limited. We have raised some funding towards this work from our raffle and will apply for grant funding to make up the balance once quotes can be obtained and the overall cost is established.
We have purchased a storage container and three folding tables for use at events. The container has been erected on a part of the graveyard where no gravestones have been found.
Zion Graveyard has been nominated for inclusion on the South Yorkshire Heritage List and is awaiting a final decision. Thanks to Bridget Ingle for working on the submission and tracking its progress.
Object 2. Advancing education
The graveyard is also always open 2 – 4pm on the second Sunday afternoon of every month for visitors. We aim to share information about the heritage of the site with all visitors and our detailed interpretation panels and booklets are well received. This year we have updated and reprinted the leaflets and membership forms.
We have taken our information boards and literature about Zion Graveyard to
The Millennium Galleries for the Sheffield Heritage Fair on 20[th] January.
Wincobank Chapel for the July Garden Party and September Heritage Open Day
On 6[th] September Mike Higginbottom brought a large group of new visitors to the graveyard on his Heritage Open Day Walking Tour of Old Attercliffe.
Events and Open Days
28[th] November – Talk by Michelle Rawlins “Women of Steel” and AGM at the Library Venue, Attercliffe.
11[th] March – Demolished Sheffield – an illustrated talk by Mike Higginbottom at Wincobank Chapel, raising funds for Zion Graveyard.
Open Afternoons : were cancelled on 10[th] December 2023 and 10[th] March 2024 due to bad weather making the site potentially unsafe.
Further Open Afternoons were held 11[th] February, 15[th] April (7 years since we first entered Zion Graveyard),
12[th] May
9[th] June 2024 National Cemeteries Week Open Day
14[th] July – Summer Celebration at the graveyard with tombola, book stall, bric-a-brac
8[th] September – Zion Graveyard Heritage Open Day
13[th] October - Ron Eales Memorial Day. We welcomed the family to unveil a plaque and plant daffodils to commemorate Ron’s important contribution to the preservation of the graveyard.
We have held two family learning activity sessions this year. Zion Graveyard is a validated Learning Destination for Sheffield Children’s University (CU), a council run initiative which encourages children to participate in voluntary learning activities in their own time. Children are awarded CU Learning Credits towards CU Certificates and Badges for the time they are engaged in learning activities in their own time. Our aim is to engage families in activities that explore both the biodiversity and history of the graveyard.
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31[st] July – Urban Wildlife – This session was funded by Sheffield Children’s University which enabled us to engage art tutor Mia Parry to deliver art activities, supported by volunteers.
31[st] October - Happy Halloween art – craft, traditional games and history.
Children and young people are also encouraged to help with appropriate maintenance tasks on open days for which they can claim CU Learning Credits.
In addition
8[th] July - Friends of Bishop’s House - Jean Hine’s talk about Mary Anne Rawson
Object 3. The preservation and conservation of natural heritage.
Sylvia Jones has kindly produced a very useful leaflet for volunteers with suggestions for easy gardening tasks and we have had some new volunteers this year who have been working with trustees month to keep the graves clear and to try and contain and reduce the ground ivy. This has allowed a greater variety of wildflowers to grow which we have been photographing and identifying. An increasing mixture of native wild flowers and garden plants attract plenty of insect life.
The graveyard continues to be used as a feeding station for goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch, long-tailed tit, crow, magpie, blackbird, song thrush and robin with great tit, blue tit and wren nesting.
Pipistrelle bats also continue to visit though none appear to have yet made use of our bat box. The Alder Buckthorn, planted as part of the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Brimstone butterfly project are established but slow-growing so we're hoping of seeing some results in the not too distant future.
4. Membership and support
T here is no membership fee and members do not have voting rights under our constitution.
We have
There are currently 616 followers of our Facebook page: Friends of Zion Graveyard Attercliffe.
Our monthly email updates go out to 295 addresses. This year we have asked for confirmation that people wish to continue to receive emails and so far 78 people have confirmed. We have deleted 22 email addresses on request or because they were undeliverable. We are still checking the remaining 200 names.
We are currently reviewing and updating our original membership list which was compiled from the membership forms that were returned to us.
There are a number of additional supporters with only a postal address.
We also have a Twitter (X) account which is not currently in use.
There are a number of volunteers in addition to the committee who help in different ways and for whom we are very appreciative.
Our summer raffle was well supported with prizes were donated by the Library Venue, David Slater, Marie Gilman and Steve Randall. The raffle was drawn at the Chapel Heritage Open Day.
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5. Finance
Draft accounts show funds in hand at the end of the financial year of £1,270, which is £523.82 less than at the beginning of the year.
We have held several fund-raising events which have generated £832.42 whilst spending, including basic running costs and volunteer costs was £1356.29. We will be focussing on increasing our income in the next financial year.
To support the events which we run we purchased three foldable weatherproof tables and a storage chest and a reprint of our leaflets and membership forms.
The first event of the year, Mike Higginbottom’s talk about Demolished Sheffield drew a large crowd and raised over £200 through donations and a small raffle: we do very much appreciate his support.
Over the summer we held a raffle with a range of prizes, including a signed George Cunningham print of the old Sheffield markets. Taking account of the costs of the raffle this raised £108.
A talk about the life of Mary Ann Rawson by Jean Hine to the Friends of Bishop’s House raised £50.
A summer children’s event was funded by Sheffield Children’s University, though unfortunately this funding did not arrive during the financial year.
We ran our Halloween event differently this year, asking parents to make a contribution of £2.50 for each child. The £37.50 raised here covered the costs of materials, prizes, decorations and refreshments.
We have sold 71 copies of our booklet “The Story of Zion Graveyard Attercliffe”, copies of which are available for purchase at a cost of £5 plus p&p if posted.
The accounts have been checked by Steve Randall, who we would like to thank for his support.
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Annu•l Ac¢wnt 202>2024 • l No¥•mb•r 2025 £1757.93 Trt•l £L35&29 p Insufance Webslte lees 8•nk Cha N?tlonal Feder3tbn Cem oiher admln £143.07 £IC6.37 £fI).J E20. £11. £341.04 Halloween Eales Raffle tickets and Ikence oiher e¥¢nts £31.59 £78.99 £57.80 £110.5B £2n.96 Leaflet5 and +rertI Foldln Tables Stora eb)x3ndk Volunteer ex uare card reader Seat covers Refreshments £207.69 £138.96 £174.(Xl £IS7.45 E22. £11.20 £24.19 nses Tot•1 In¢)m• ÉW.47 Donatlons Booklet Sales int P&P Event admlsslon Raffle tlckets Other £230.78 £174.46 £167.50 £131.92 £127.61 £831A7 £L234.11 Ji-0¢tr24 £730.51 £76.Cil £427.60 É1.234.11 H$8C CO-O Bank Cash In hand El,616.54 £141.39 £1,757.93 I havee ex•mlned the records and attounts of Frnds ofzknn Graveyard. AtterclThfortr Y*•r endl 31st Ortober 2023 •nd confirni that accuratlty refkn the an1e59fthIt or8anlsatlon Stephen Randall 14.6.2025