Active churchyards are the responsibility of the church, inactive yards usually become the responsibility of the parish council as is the case in Coverham. Both St. Mary’s and St. Bart’s are the Parish Council’s responsibility and the active yard opposite St. Bart’s is St. Mary’s responsibility, so that’s straight forward enough!
The biodiversity in St. Bart’s has slowly improved over the years that it was being strimmed regularly, some calcareous grasses, wild flowers and even snakeshead fritillaries (hybrids) have made an appearance.
Cow parsley, though is a major headache and needs cutting down before it sets seed. Although it has been reduced over the years, there is still a lot more to address.
The grass was being strimmed back to about four inches four times a year to give the undergrowth a chance, whilst leaving the southeast corner wild.
Other tasks included cutting ivy at the base of trees, headstones and walls but don’t pull it off stonework, it will drop off, eventually.
Collecting fallen wood for the pile at the northeastern corner of the yard and put the leaf fall in the clamp on the northside. Anyone can use the resulting compost.
The bramble in the northside hedge requires cutting back hard and the other hedges need care but only outside of the bird breeding season.
There are breeding barn owls in the tower, deer and badgers make regular use of the yard as well. There are two species of bat that use the building: Pipistrelle and Brown Long Eared. At the last count, five species use the churchyard for hunting.
The churchyard has nothing to do with St. Bart’s Trust. A trustee on his own, took on the task because he felt the site deserved better than just being mowed flat. It enhances the building and shows the village takes an interest in a site that extends back at least one thousand years in history.
