Tag: volunteers

Wonderful Wildlife

by Helen Bovillin General, News, Volunteers, Wildlife

Wonderful Wildlife

June

It is very disheartening to have to start a report with bad news.  At the start of June Hull City Council cut down the vast majority of the wildflowers growing in and behind the grass verge adjacent to the Cemetery on Spring Bank West.  An important resource for pollinating insects and in turn other wonderful wildlife has thus been lost, and in the middle of the bird nesting season too.

The Council has not at the time of writing this provided FOHGC with an explanation for their actions.  I also made my own complaint about the destruction in my capacity as a private individual.  The Council’s last email to me said they couldn’t respond yet ‘’due to the complexity of the issues involved’’.

I took the above photo just a few days before the destruction of this attractive and important wildlife resource.  The Council’s mowing also went back further than the grass verge and into the Cemetery itself.  This seems to be in direct conflict with the Stop Order the Council placed on the volunteers in April.

Birds

Now that the trees are in full leaf the birds are harder to see.  They can still be heard though – Chiffchaffs, Robins, Song Thrushes, Blackbirds, Chaffinches and many others’ songs filling the air as usual.  I once saw a report (I can’t remember where and therefore provide a link) that birds in urban areas sing up to 20% louder than their counterparts in the countryside.  This makes sense, as our birds have the traffic noise on Spring Bank West to contend with.

young blue tit

Some of the birds I did manage to see were busy gathering food for their chicks, many of which will now have fledged.  Young Blue Tits are the same size as the adults but are a lot paler in colour.  They have powder blue legs and the yellow gape is still visible at the sides of their beaks.

Butterflies and Other Insects

There were not many butterflies around this month.  The ones that emerged earlier in the year will have mated, laid their eggs and then died.  The period between that and the emergence of the next generation from July onwards is what has become known as the ‘’June gap’’.

There were still some Speckled Woods around though and I caught a brief glimpse of a Red Admiral.  I also found an Orange-tip caterpillar.  This will then pupate away from its food plant and emerge as an adult next Spring.

Speckled Wood butterfly

There are currently lots of these unusual little bugs around – they’re Ladybird larvae.

Ladybird larva

Flowers and other plants

Lots of Summer flowers are now starting to open inside the Cemetery, including a Rhododendron.  Opinions are divided as to whether this is a good or bad plant to have here, but it is small and not growing close to any of the headstones.  It adds an attractive splash of colour in a shaded area and provides a source of nectar for insects.

Bearing in mind the destruction of so many of the wildflowers on the grass verge, any source of nectar is more important than ever.

Rhododendron

The Cow Parsley, Hogweed and Wild Garlic has started to die back as expected.  There are plenty of smaller wildflowers now coming through including Buttercups, Speedwell, Wood Avens and Red Campion.

Some of the flowers planted by the volunteers prior to the Stop Notice are now starting to flower but I will talk about those in the next newsletter.

Campion

Mushrooms Wonderful Wildlife

Some more glistening Inkcaps were seen on a log, and I found some Common Inkcaps too.

Inkcap fungi

But the best find was a beautiful Chicken of the Woods!  It was the first time I’d seen one in the Cemetery but unfortunately a few days after I took the photo on the left someone removed most of it.  The photo on the right shows where the brackets have been sliced off.

Another sad, selfish and disheartening act, this time by an individual.  This has deprived other people of the change to simply enjoy looking at some beautiful and amazing specimens.

Chicken fungus

Mammals

A new sub-heading to reflect the very good news that the foxes have had at least two cubs!

Fox caught on camera

The foxes are rarely seen during the day so one of the volunteers placed their own trail camera in a secluded position away from the footpaths.  And the results were very encouraging to say the least!  The camera is no longer there; this was just a quick experiment for a few nights only.

Conclusion

Overall a month of mixed fortunes for the wonderful wildlife of our favourite cemetery.

We can only hope that the Council will allow the grass verge to recover so that we can once again enjoy seeing the wildflowers, butterflies, bees and other insects as we walk past or linger to take a photo or two.

The Reduced Activity of the FOHGC during April and May

by Bill Longbonein General, News, Volunteers, Wildlife1 Comment on The Reduced Activity of the FOHGC during April and May

As everyone should know by now, there has been a complaint made about the FOHGC. The Council are therefore holding an official enquiry. As a result there has been reduced activity of the FOHGC during April and May in HGC.

Here’s a summary of the reduced activity of the FOHGC during those two months.

April

The FOHGC received a couple of donations of £100 from Facebook members. This money was to purchase plants etc. The FOHGC also purchased a third Silver Birch and planted this, along with a mix of 15 hazel, crab apple and rowan trees donated by the Woodland Trust.

Since 2019 the FOHGC have planted well in excess of 300 native trees on the site.

The buzzard appeared to have left for a while but has since been sighted several times.

Pete Lowden continues to maintain the website. Helen Bovill’s monthly nature posts have been received enthusiastically.

Hull Civic Society do not contribute any funding to the FOHGC and now no longer pay the insurance. As a result the FOHGC have acquired their own insurance at a cost of £230 per annum.

Site visit

After the recent complaint to the Council, Andrew Wilson, Jennifer Woollin and Mike Tindall, council officers, met with the representatives from the FOHGC on site for a positive meeting. The notes of this meeting were distributed separately. Hull City Council request to the FOHGC

As agreed with Jennifer Woollin, the volunteers have planted the wildflower meadow with the special EW1 seeds recommended by Jennifer. We have however been prevented from planting the butterfly garden until the review is complete. A further planting will now have to take place in the autumn. As a result, and at the request of Andrew Wilson, Open Spaces manager, the wildflowers that were for the Butterfly Garden have now been planted outside the site on the Thorseby Street cut through.

Accounts

The accounts show that we have a balance of £4,705.25, although the monies for the insurance are not deducted as yet from that figure.

The volunteers re-erected the broken fence at the rear of the Princes Avenue shops. Sadly, it looks like more rubbish is beginning to pile up at the shop’s rear.

Several species of butterfly have been noted in the cemetery by Helen Bovill, particularly on the Spring Bank West frontage.

Many bird species, including blue tits, great tits, tree creepers, chaffinches and goldcrests have been seen in the cemetery this month. A tawny owl has been seen on the site. It has occupied one of the owl boxes erected by the group. We believe it mated and two owlets were seen in April in this box. They now appeared to have fledged. Wonderful Wildlife

The reduction of the activities of the volunteers has seen an increase in the amount of anti-social behaviour. This includes a fire, theft of litter bins and a proliferation of rubbish dumped. There have been an increase of people who have volunteered to litter pick on the site.

May

A few more donations were received from Facebook members.

Research was undertaken on several of the vases/urns that were recovered from the drain shaft in the Quakers section. Particularly the one of Ronnie Jackson who was lost on the St Romanus in 1968. Andy Lister has repaired the vase and mounted it on an oak plinth. It will be presented to Ronnie’s step brother during the next couple of weeks.

An English oak was donated from a teacher at Thoresby Primary. It was planted in the Workhouse Memorial area.

The two areas near the Thoresby Street cut through were tidied and the drains were cleared.

12 headstones that failed the Safety push test were laid flat by the Council.

The Quaker’s committee have asked the volunteers to help improve their burial section.

Conclusion

That’s a summary of the activities the FOHGC have done over the last two months. Not bad is it?

 

Wonderful Wildlife

by Pete Lowdenin General, News, Volunteers, Wildlife2 Comments on Wonderful Wildlife

WONDERFUL WILDLIFE

Here is the latest posting from Helen Bovill of her series ‘Wonderful Wildlife’.

owl

April 2021

A rather cold month with several days starting at sub-zero temperatures. Despite the well-known saying about ‘’April showers’’ it was a very dry month with no significant rainfall. There was still plenty of warm sunshine though and the cemetery is teeming with wonderful wildlife.

Birds

This month’s star bird of prey is the Tawny Owl (pictured above). It was first photographed by a visitor to the site in late April and I was lucky to see it myself a few days later.  This stunning bird is slightly smaller than a Wood Pigeon.  Also seen was a Sparrowhawk but the Buzzard hasn’t been seen recently.  However there have been reports of two of them flying around the adjoining Western cemetery.

I also saw a Redwing earlier in the month.  It might have just been passing through but it landed in one of the cemetery’s trees so it counts!

redwing

The air is full of birdsong and the many Robins and Wrens provide some of the most beautiful woodland sounds.  Another bird with a fine voice is the Blackcap.  The birds’ singing reaches a peak in early May.  This is why International Dawn Chorus Day takes place on the first Sunday in May.  Why not get up early and have a listen?

blackcap

But it wouldn’t be Spring without the very distinctive sound of the Chiffchaff coming from high up in the trees.

chiffchaff

There are a number of Blue Tits in the cemetery and some are making good use of the nest boxes.  Blackbirds, Great Tits, Blue Tits and Coal Tits are gathering nesting material (other birds’ feathers seem to be quite popular).  Small groups of Long-tailed Tits can be seen darting from tree to tree and there are Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Goldcrests, Dunnocks and Treecreepers living in the cemetery as well.

blue tit

Butterflies and other insects

Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells and Commas continued to be seen.  Brimstones, Orange-tips, Speckled Woods, Small Whites and Green-veined Whites also started to emerge.  All have been seen inside the cemetery but the easiest place to see them is on the grass verge running alongside the cemetery on Spring Bank West.

Brimstones always rest with their wings closed and are a bright shade of lemon-yellow.  The females are much paler, almost white.  This is another butterfly that overwinters as an adult.

brimstone

Orange-tips started to emerge towards the end of April.  These rest with their wings open as well as closed.  The female lacks the orange markings.  They overwinter as a pupa so this one is brand new. The markings on the underwings are actually made up of yellow and black scales – it’s just the light that makes them look green.

orange tip

Speckled Woods started to emerge towards the end of April too.  They are the only UK butterfly that can overwinter as a pupa or as a later stage larva. Male and female markings have no obvious differences.

speckled wood

Hoverflies, Bees and other insects are now in abundance.  Several mounds looking like miniature molehills have started to appear on the ground.  These mark the entrances to the underground nests of Tawny Mining Bees.

tawny mining bee

Flowers

Celandines were abundant along the Spring Bank West verge up to mid-April.  Dandelions are now in abundance there, together with Daisies and other wildflowers.  These include Cuckooflower, an important plant for all life stages of the Orange-tip butterfly.

cuckooflower

Another important plant for Orange-tips is Garlic Mustard and this is now starting to flower.  This seems to be its best year yet.

garlic mustard

The Celandines are now in full flower inside the cemetery and clusters of them can be seen just about everywhere.  Other spring plants are now in flower including Periwinkle, Red Dead-nettle, Groundsel, Common Chickweed, Common Dog-violet and Yellow Archangel.

yellow archangel

April has been a great month for the cemetery’s wonderful wildlife and the ground is carpeted with greenery in most places.  Last month’s small green shoots are turning into fully-fledged leaves.  Cow Parsley and Bluebells are also starting to flower.  May will be their peak month so I’ll talk about those in the next newsletter.

Hull City Council request to the FOHGC

by Pete Lowdenin Events, General, News, Volunteers

As some of you may know, earlier this month Hull City Council made a request to the FOHGC. This was to temporarily stop any work in the cemetery other than collecting and disposing of litter from the site. This request appeared to stem from a complaint. An official enquiry was begun as a result of this. We have been informed that when a decision has been reached the FOHGC will be informed as soon as possible.

 

Wonderful Wildlife

by Pete Lowdenin General, News, Wildlife1 Comment on Wonderful Wildlife

2021: The story so far

January got off to a great start.  The volunteers and visitors to the cemetery enjoyed some good and frequent views of a Buzzard. They’re not very common in and around Hull so to have one in the cemetery was an unexpected pleasure.  It’s not known whether it’s male or female though, but it is still being sighted occasionally.  February was a month of contrasts, with a week of snow and sub-zero temperatures at the start of the month.  It ended with a week of sunshine and higher than usual temperatures.  There was plenty of warm sunshine in March too.

Flowers

This winter was a bumper one for Snowdrops, with at least 3 different types in flower all over the site.  The sunshine and higher than average temperatures during that last week of February gave the Lesser Celandines flowering in the grass verge on Spring Bank West a welcome boost.  These low-growing bright yellow flowers open up in the sunshine and typically have between 8 and 10 petals although they can sometimes have as many as 12 or 13.

Lesser Celandines can also be found inside the Cemetery and these are now starting to flower, although being in partial shade they’re a little behind the ones on the grass verge and the stems of their flowers are noticeably longer as they reach for the sun.

The Blackthorn is already in flower – its white blossoms appear before the leaves do, unlike the Hawthorn which flowers slightly later in the Spring after its leaves have opened.

 

Butterflies and other insects

The Lesser Celandines provided a valuable source of nectar for some early butterflies emerging in late February.  I counted 8 Small Tortoiseshells one day, plus a Peacock.  Both species overwinter as adults in sheltered vegetation and will no doubt have been tempted out by the warm sun.

Small tortoiseshells

Butterfly sightings continued throughout March whenever it was sunny, with some more Small Tortoiseshells and 2 more Peacocks seen on the grass verge just before the Spring Equinox.

 

A Comma, another butterfly that overwinters as an adult, was seen later in March, again on the grass verge.  It gets its name from a distinctive white comma-shaped mark on the underside of its wings.

Comma butterfly on celadine

There were lots of other insects buzzing around the grass verge in late March too including a Bee-fly, the first time I’ve seen one there.  This small fluffy fly is harmless to humans and uses its long proboscis to get nectar from flowers.  When hovering its wings seemingly disappear in a blur of movement.

Bee-fly at rest

 

Birds

There are several Wood Pigeons living in the cemetery and these can be seen every day pecking around on the ground or flying noisily in and out of the trees.

There is also a pair of resident Stock Doves and these are usually seen together, sometimes with the Wood Pigeons.  Stock Doves are around the same size as feral Pigeons and sometimes hang around with them too.

The Stock Dove is on the left of the photo – its band of blue/green feathers is larger and more noticeable than on the Wood Pigeon and it lacks the white patch.  The Wood Pigeon is the larger of the two species although this is not apparent from the photo.

Pigeons and Doves

 

The smaller birds have started to pair up and look for suitable nesting sites, but I’ll say more about them in the next newsletter.

Overall a very good start to the year, and with many of the trees and shrubs already showing small green shoots there is the promise of much more wonderful wildlife to come!

Postscript: Helen Bovill

Helen Bovill is a member of the FOHGC. She is a gifted naturalist and photographer. Her photographs have graced the FOHGC Facebook site for a while now. It’s with great pleasure that we now have the chance to share in her knowledge and expertise here. Helen has kindly consented to write an article every month on the broad subject of nature for the website newsletter. This is the first of what I hope will be many such articles. So sit back and enjoy.

New storage unit erected

by Pete Lowdenin Events, News, Volunteers1 Comment on New storage unit erected

I was going to title this, ‘HQ for the FOHGC in the HGC’ but I thought better of it. Way too many acronyms! Good news. Our storage unit was erected this week.

Yes, we now have a new storage unit. It will make a good tool storage spot and even a place to shelter from the rain. Some of the volunteers are thinking in terms of cups of tea and biscuits and sitting watching the world go by. As if.

The unit is sited at the Princes Avenue end of the site, very close to ‘Prim Corner’. Backing on to the backyard of a property on Princes Avenue.

The base for the storage unit was laid on the Monday 15th.The foundation was mainly made from hard core and packed earth. It was then topped with paving slabs to give some stability.

Unit erected in record time…. for us

Due to the delivery driver having a puncture the storage unit could not be delivered on Tuesday. However it was delivered on Wednesday and the storage unit was erected by the volunteers in about two hours.

Trellis was erected. It is planned to embellish it with ivy and possibly other climbing plants. The ivy has already been planted. It is hoped that this will eventually camouflage the unit and allow it to ‘blend in.’

Of course, we understand that it may be vulnerable to theft and vandalism. This is something we all sadly have to accept these days. However, we are also optimistic that, with the increased footfall in HGC, the chances of such a  thing happening are diminishing.

Sorry, no lattes

I must stress that any rumours that the volunteers will be serving cream teas from the unit are untrue.  Also wide of the mark is the idea that we are investing in a fancy expresso machine to provide cappuccinos and compete with our neighbours.

No, the volunteers will still be relying heavily on their own flasks. As for cream teas? Well, just look at us. I rest my case.

Volunteers erecting the unit

 

The work done by the FOHGC during early spring

by Pete Lowdenin Events, History, News, Wildlife

The work done by the FOHGC during early spring has continued during the present lock-down period. Obviously the bird nesting season has begun during this particular period so the FOHGC has taken this factor into account in their planned work. The volunteers have been keeping their social distance and taking additional precautions. The work done by the FOHGC during early spring is noted below.  The further work that took place in March follows on.

Summary of activities in February

Hull City Council Planning Department have advised us that we do not require planning permission for the storage cabin. The cabin will be ordered in the near future.

The buzzard appeared to have left the site. This was not the case however, and it has since been sighted several times.

The Facebook site continues to grow under the management of Barbara Lowden, and we now over 1000 members!

Pete Lowden continues to add various new facilities onto our website, including past research, news updates etc. This seems to be very popular. Pete is also trying to get guest ‘specialist’ writers to contribute.

The photographic record and the digitising of the burial records

The Photographic Record Project is now complete and transferred onto Access Database. This is complete with a ‘name’ index on Excel Spreadsheet, although the volunteers seem to be finding even more unrecorded stones! Several more previously unrecorded graves have been uncovered by the volunteers. These have been photographed and placed on the database and highlighted as a new find.

Kevin Rudeforth will try to upload the database to the Website. A copy will be available to East Yorkshire Family History Society, the Carnegie Trust and the Hull History Centre.

Eva La Pensee, secretary of the FOHGC, has contacted Philip Hampel, Principal Conservation Officer. Philip’s area of responsibility lies mainly in terms of heritage. He thanked the FOHGC for their work in HGC and said that the digitising of the burial records will be a great resource.

The digitising of the records is ongoing so it is difficult to give a precise figure of how much has been done. The work was divided into five yearly periods. Each volunteer went away with their ‘period’. The entire 20th century is now digitised. The project, although no end date was put forward, will likely be completed early next year. Our partners mentioned above, in terms of the photographic record, will receive a copy of the work.

An example of the burial registers.The first 10 burials recorded in HGC

The snowdrops have had a great show this month and the daffodils are now coming into full bloom. Eva La Pensee donated a large number of hawthorn, blackthorn and buckthorn plants. They have all now been planted alongside the Workhouse Area path. All appear to be healthy and well established now.

Meetings

Subsequent to the Zoom meeting, Karen Towner, Helen Bovill and William Longbone met up with Andrew Gibson of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the notes of which were circulated.

Jennifer Woollin has emailed copies of the digitized Tree Survey which were circulated.

Karen Towner, Helen Bovill and William Longbone met with Jennifer Woollin on the 2/3/2021. This was to look at the tree survey plans and discuss the planting regimes. I will circulate my notes over the next couple of days.

Two more nesting boxes have been made by volunteer Andy Lister, depicting the names of  WW1 and WW2 fallen.  These were erected in the central wild flower meadow.

Insurance cover

We understand that the Hull Civic Society have decided not to include FOHGC on their future insurance policy. This is disappointing, as we have had no formal notification or reason from the them for its decision. We will now arrange our own cover by for the coming year.

Vine wires have been fixed on the rear of a building near the demolished chapel. Honeysuckle and ivy have been planted there. It is hope they will  conceal the wall.

We are still awaiting the chippings from Hull City Council. The chippings will enable the volunteers to maintain the pathways.

One of the descendants of the cooper on the whaling ship ‘Diana’ has adopted Gravill’s monument and planted it with snowdrops.

Ground ivy

The FOHGC have obtained permission from Jennifer Woollin to remove ground ivy from the wild garlic sites and other localized areas. This includes any gravestones. The wild flower meadow can now be made ready for planting.  We are advised this should not adversely affect nesting birds.

We haven’t yet received the accounts, but there have been no outgoings this month, except for the £10 subscription to the National Association of Cemetery Friends.

There is an area at the rear of the cemetery near the wildflower meadow. Many damaged kerb stones have been left there and this area has long been used as a ‘dumping’ ground.  It has now has now been tidied and planted with wild flower seeds. The kerbs have been checked for any numbers/inscriptions and recorded.

volunteers tree planting

The work done by the FOHGC in March

The volunteers have been extremely busy during the March lock-down period, with the volunteers keeping their social distance and taking additional precautions.

Summary of activities in March

 The storage cabin was ordered, delivered and erected in its agreed position at the rear of the Princes Ave shops. Thanks were given to Mike Tindall and Andrew Wilson for their support in obtaining the facility.

It has been fitted with storage and tool racking.

Further donation and more trees

A donation of £250 was received from Messrs Donaldson Filters to enable the group to purchase trees and plants. A further £20 was received from Stuart Johnson.

A flowering cherry was purchased and planted on the SBW verge, it is now in full blossom. In addition, an English oak, 2 silver birch and an alder have been purchased and planted.

We have been notified by the Woodland Trust that the 15 saplings awarded to us will be delivered in the next 3 weeks.

Nature

The snowdrops continued to have a great show this month, the daffodils are in full bloom and the bluebells and wild garlic are now awaiting their turn!

The hawthorn, blackthorn and buckthorn plants donated by Eva, and planted alongside the Workhouse Area all seem to be in bud and flourishing.

Several species of butterflies have been noted in the cemetery by Helen Bovill, particularly on the Spring Bank West frontage.

Many bird species, including blue tits, great tits, tree creepers, chaffinch and goldcrest have been seen in the cemetery this month.

There have been several sightings of the buzzard. We long to see a mate for him / her.

Visit from council officers

Jennifer Woollin and Adam Sivel-Thompson visited the site this month. They agreed that the trees that were adversely affecting the Thomas Stratten tomb and nearby grave can be removed by the volunteers. There are no nesting birds in them.

As agreed with Jennifer Woollin, environmental officer for the council, the volunteers have begun to prepare the wild flower meadow for planting. This should not adversely affect any nesting birds. We have many wildflower seedlings including sunflowers, cornflowers, cowslip etc ready for planting.

Jennifer  and Adam Sivel-Thomson, one of Jennifer’s colleagues, were delighted to be shown the Giant Puffballs and Scarlet Elf Cup fungus. They said this fungus was particularly rare, especially in an urban environment.

Scarlet Elf Cup fungi

Website and Facebook

Pete Lowden continues to add various new facilities onto our website, including past research, news updates etc. This is very informative and seems to be very popular, Helen Bovill has agreed to submit a monthly ‘nature’ post to the website. Pete is endeavouring to get guest ‘specialist’ writers to contribute.

The Photographic Record Project is now complete and transferred onto Access Database. The volunteers have found several additional headstones. These have been added to the database. Kevin is going to try and upload the database to the Website. A copy will be available to EYFHS, Carnegie Heritage Centre and the Hull History Centre.

The Facebook site continues to grow under the management of Barbara Lowden. We now have over 1070 members!

More discoveries

Captain William Cape died in the Crimea. The previously unknown plaque recording this has recently been unearthed.  A frame made to keep it together has been assembled.

The Alder family’s unrecorded grave has been unearthed. This has a stylized Alder tree carved on it. The Friends have purchased an alder tree. In agreement with Jennifer Woollin and Adam Sivel-Thompson, it has now been planted adjacent to the Alder grave.

Insurance and chippings

The Civic Society have decided not to include FOHGC on their future insurance policy. The FOHGC still have had no formal notification or reason from the Civic Society for its decision. Quotations for a new policy to cover the volunteers activities and the cabin/tools etc have been received. The new premium will be approximately £250. Once we have agreement to proceed from the members Bill will organize the policy.

We are still awaiting chippings from HCC to enable the volunteers to maintain the pathways.

The cylindrical ‘granite’ off cuts, donated by Steve Griffin of Odlings Ltd, have been laid into the path near the Main Gate by Pete Lowden. When we receive another delivery, the other side of the path will be completed.

Awaiting accounts and bank statements

We haven’t yet received the accounts from Natasha, nor the bank statement from John Scotney, chair of the FOHGC. There has been quite a lot of expenditure this month with the cabin, trees etc. Bill Longbone has laid out the money and anticipates a cheque from Natasha in the near future.

Miscellaneous

The back of the princes avenue shop

After reporting the issue of dumped furniture in the yard of the rear of Princes Ave shops, most of it has now been removed. The volunteers will re-erect the broken fence to secure the property when it has all been cleared

The back of the Princes Avenue shops after some rubbish has been removed

Three signs advising that there is CCTV in the cemetery have been mounted. One is at the Thoresby St edible garden. The Princes Avenue shops has one. Another is near the laurel ‘drug den’.

Jennifer and Adam have confirmed that the volunteers can cut back the laurels as there are no birds nesting in there.

One of the members of the Facebook site purchased four further signs regarding littering. These were affixed prominently in the Thoresby Street cut through. Thank you Eloina.

Don't be a tosser notice

Bill Longbone 26/3/2021

 

Council Support

by Pete Lowdenin Events, General, News, Volunteers, Wildlife1 Comment on Council Support

Council support

There was an article in the Hull Daily Mail about a fortnight ago. In it Hull General Cemetery was touched upon. The article was the result, I suppose, of an interview with the sitting councillors of the ward. It could well have been a press release by them. I don’t really know. Here’s the link.

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/life-avenues-hull-area-proud-4973918

The link was placed on FaceBook but soon had to be taken down. It prompted angry outbursts amidst claims that it was just electioneering.

Once again, I don’t know if it was electioneering. It was in February which is surely a little early for the May elections but no matter. What is beyond doubt is the simple facts as stated in the interview / press release. The councillors who spoke to the Hull Daily Mail were telling the truth. At least in terms of the part about Hull General Cemetery where Council support has been integral to the improvements on the site.

No, hold on. Don’t shoot the messenger. Yes, I know the old joke about how can you tell when a politician’s lying? When their lips move. And ordinarily I go along with that. But here was that rare example of the opposite of that.

Now, I can’t judge a councillor’s performance on other issues. Nor do I want to, until May comes around that is. But I can judge a councillor’s net worth to Hull General Cemetery so here goes.

In my time on the FOHGC I have had dealings with a number of councillors. None of them were bad although it was plainly obvious that to a couple of them, the condition of a derelict cemetery was pretty low on their to do list. That’s the way it goes, and I would be lying if, on some days, Hull General Cemetery doesn’t always make my top ten topics.

However, on the whole I feel the councillors have given a fair share of their time to this subject. Yes, I can’t complain about the level of council support.

Name names

But, and here’s where I suppose I should put my tin hat on, two councillors have stood out in their efforts on behalf of the FOHGC and, by default, the Hull General Cemetery.

The first is Cllr. Marjorie Brabazon. When the condition of the cemetery was first  brought up, even before the FOHGC was formed, Cllr. Brabazon took an active interest. She was one of the original attendees at the first meeting that set up the FOHGC. A regular attender at the meetings since then, she always offers support and guidance. She was also one of the people who took on the role of liaising with the local schools to form active links with them.

As the chair of the Libraries Committee, she enabled the books that were written about the cemetery by Bill and myself to be bought and put on the shelves of all the local libraries. To be read for free and make more people aware of the site. We reciprocated by selling them at cost price so that everyone won on that deal.

All of this whilst in the middle of a serious health crisis within her family.

The second is Cllr. Abi Bell. She wasn’t a councillor, at least in the Avenues Ward, when the FOHGC was set up. However once in post in this ward, she took on an active part in the work of the FOHGC. She was often the point of contact within the council that we used the most.

When the open meetings were taking place in 2019, she arranged for the leaflet printing and attended at least one of the meetings. She also attended other informal meetings outside the FOHGC formal setting when an issue arose that could not be dealt with on the monthly schedule.

On a personal note, her support and enthusiasm for the project often kept me going during some acrimonious times, never mind the other way around.

Both of these councillors have shown, at least to me, that when the subject of Hull General Cemetery comes up, politics doesn’t enter into it. They do what needs to be done.

Electioneering?

So, electioneering? Maybe, maybe not. Quite frankly I don’t care.

In fact, on this subject, I am apolitical. It’s not the political party that interests me, it’s what they bring to the party that is the Hull General Cemetery. Yes, I know that’s pretty shallow. Yes, I’m following my own self interests. What happened to being principled and not being selfish?

Well, come on, hand on heart, isn’t that the way many people have been voting in every democracy for the last few years? And I have to live with those petty selfish decisions which are and will be much more harmful to me and my family for generations.

So, cut me some slack here. And while you’re at it, try cutting the councillors some slack. At least in terms of Hull General Cemetery they’ve delivered.

Yep, that gets my vote.

P.S. The image at the front of this post is the monument to John Wilde in HGC. This man ‘used’ the electoral process so well during the 1850s in Hull that a Parliamentary Commission was called into being. It ruled that the Parliamentary election of 1853 was null and void. He was implicated in bribing the voters above and beyond what was seen to be acceptable in those days. As a result Hull did not have any representation in parliament for two years.

The practice during this election was over and above the level of corruption usually found in elections during this period. Take a moment here, and spare a thought for Thomas Perronet Thompson. He had been a Member for Hull in the past and was approached in 1854, as to whether he would stand in the 1855 election. He replied, and this speaks volumes for the heady level of corruption in the town at that time, that ‘he would as soon think of selling his daughter for a concubine in New Orleans.’ So, that’s a no then, Thomas?

Meanwhile back at Thomas Wilde.

As you can see, in the inscription on his tomb, this ‘issue’ did not merit a mention. In the long run politics is a very forgiving industry. Isn’t it?

The inscription on Tom Wilde's monument

 

Meeting with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

by Pete Lowdenin Events, General, News, Volunteers, Wildlife

Follow up meeting

On the 17th February Andrew Gibson of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust met with the more active volunteers of the FOHGC. These included Bill Longbone, Karen Towner, Russell Moore, George and Chris Wilson.

The meeting was called by Andrew to follow up on the items discussed at the recent Zoom meeting. It was felt by both sides that clarification was needed and that an actual site visit would provide that.

Here are the minutes of that site visit.

Minutes

Meeting in Hull General Cemetery with Andrew Gibson YWT 17 Feb 2021

 

Reason for meeting: Follow up meeting from ‘Zoom’ meeting, as suggested by AG

Those Present:     Karen Towner, WL  (Russell Moore, Geoge and Chris Wilson part time)

Meeting:

The group took an anti clockwise, circular walk around the cemetery to identify any conflicts of interest between FoHGC and YWT, and obtain guidance.

The area behind the Princes Ave shops to be allowed to rest, establish bramble/thicket area around fox den. Maintain clearance around immediate areas of monuments as features. Possibly plant 3 or 4 of the saplings from the Woodland Trust to conceal shop area, not too close to premises. AG noted the HCC proposal to fell the 2 ash trees and will pursue separately.

Cut back some of the dense laurel ‘drug den’ area to expose the south frontage and block off access from the western side.

Keep ground ivy in the majority of the central areas, with no cutting back.

Keep the area wild where the white poplar tree was pollarded by the council, let trunk decay naturally, trim laurel around base of poplar, as trunk is also probably decayed.

Possibly plant ivy on rear breeze block wall near old chapel to cover unsightly graffiti covered wall.

Leave Dixon & other ‘soldiers’ area at rear of cemetery ‘as is’ allowing access.

Cut the green dogwood back at rear adjacent to path.

Generally leave ivy on the trees unless it is new growth on ‘specimen’ trees.

Contact council to cut back 4 or 5 established ash saplings to rear of bungalows on Welbeck St, as they could become a problem to the building fabric.

Wildflower meadow

Maintain wildflower meadow in centre, add some butterfly loving plants, as this is one of the few sunny areas in the cemetery. Extend the cutting of the brambles at the NE side and stack cuttings behind to decay naturally.

Cut back brambles near Thompson, Sahlgreen and Kemp monuments to form feature (in autumn). Stack cuttings at rear for wilding.

Dahlgreen and Thompson

Possibly adopt the ‘old original path to the west side which is currently a walkway but could be kept as a ‘soft’ winding path.

Plant a few shrubs such as buddleia in eastern side of Butterfly area, and let nettles re-establish, as this area is still shady and mossy. Plant up butterfly loving plants with plug plants and seeds as proposed by Friends. Possibly plant ivy to grow up wall.

Workhouse area

Keep workhouse area as is, ensure the recently planted buckthorn, hawthorn and blackthorn are kept in check when they grow. Possibly plant holly/yew tree on hillock in workhouse area. Ensure that the brambles are not cut back too much, and place any cuttings to infill gaps as we are currently doing

Trim the raised bank on the pathway leading past workhouse section from Western Cemetery.

Clear area around specimen graves near the old horse chestnut tree, but create wild areas at rear to compensate.

Advise HCC of diseased horse chestnut near roadside near Quakers. Possible potential hazard of falling branches.

Clear area around Wilson’s/Rollits grave to form feature, but create wild area around.

Remove cuttings from around main gate area, maintain recent plantings. Keep watchful eye on recently planted Staghorn tree.

Create soft ‘grave interest’ sections along paths, but keep wild to rear.

Clear around Thos Stratten monument, request permission from HCC to remove tree that is damaging monument and has no ecological merit. Keep wild to rear.

Request permission to remove tree nr Kelly’s grave, cut back holly and soften area,

Plant established ‘defensive’ planting on SBW entrances to reduce number of access points.

Trim pyracanths ‘hard’ where over-growing pathways.

Remove rhododendrons near Gow grave.

Cut back brambles around Blundell monument and soften/wild area behind. Ensure ‘red’ dogwood and snowberry bushes are retained.

General Overview

Although Andrew stated that the only way to have a ‘true’ wildlife area is to keep humans out of the cemetery, he accepts that this is not an option. However, it is essential that there has to be a balance with the needs of historical and recreational groups.

AG used the analogy of a ‘swingometer’, whereby whenever the Friends are planning to carry out work in the cemetery we should question if we are doing it for wildlife or humans. If we find we are doing too much in either direction it can be redressed. The object is to ensure that we do things in a balanced manner.

It was agreed that we are now entering the nesting season, and the disturbing of nesting sites is not allowed. However, we can still work in the cemetery doing localized grave tending etc, with a constant concern for the wildlife implications

AG to chase chippings for paths, he also requested that we should ask HCC not to cut up logs when removing trees, leave as full trunk.

Subsequent to the meeting AG sent WL a link for plant sourcing.

Summary

It is accepted that there has to be a balance of wildlife requirements with the needs of historical and recreational groups.

We should always consider wildlife implications when carrying out any work, it is acknowledged that we can clear around graves to make ‘focus’ areas, but we should balance this by allowing the surrounding area to become a natural woodland.

Some areas can have further clearance, but it must be compensated elsewhere. Ground cover ivy and tree ivy is an important part of the woodland habitat, and should not be cleared, the majority of the monuments are now ivy free, and we can carry out maintenance of this work.

All pruning’s and cuttings should be put in large piles out of sight rather then leave them in smaller piles along the path.

WL agreed that he would prepare small ‘activity’ plan when working in specific areas, these maps would be correlated with the large ‘tree location/compartment’ map to provide overall plan.

WL 18 Feb 2021

Site Visit 14th December 2020

by Pete Lowdenin Events, News

I posted about this site visit last year. Here’s the minutes of that meeting as agreed by both the Council officers and the FOHGC.

Summary of Meeting at HGC 14th December 2020

 

Present: Bill Longbone, George Matkin, Helen Bovill (Volunteers), Jennifer Woollin – HCC Open Spaces Development Officer, Adam Sivel-Thompson – Arboriculture Officer

 

Meeting:

 

JW & AST attended site un-announced, in response from a complaint by a member of the public who thought that we were cutting trees down in the cemetery.

 

As both Adam and Jennifer had not been in the cemetery for over a year, they were initially taken aback at the scale of clearance and how much work had been undertaken in the area behind the shops, and thought that we had removed several trees. We confirmed that we had cut back elder behind the shops near Prim Corner, but most of the clearing was the removal of brambles. Adam advised that we shouldn’t cut back any branches of trees that exceed 75mm without Planning Permission, we accepted this. HCC would lead and advise where tree removal was required.

 

They were aware that the lime tree had fallen in August 2018, and where happy that we had constructed a hibernacula from the fallen branches. We showed them the area in the far corner behind Welbeck St, and advised that we proposed to leave this wild and overgrown. They were both pleased with this, but advised that in response to a subsidence claim, the Council were required to remove the two mature ash trees in this area. The trunk and branches would be left in situ to decay naturally.

 

The subject of the INCA Report was discussed. WL mentioned that we would like to construct a wildlife pond and JW mention this was a recommendation within the INCA Report. WL had been informally advised by HCC that it was probably a health and safety concern. JW thought that it was a good idea to progress, and suggested that we should formally submit our proposals.

 

FOGC gave HCC representatives a guided walk around the cemetery, and we discussed works that had been undertaken and the vision for the different areas. FOGC identified the problems with the muddy paths and that they were continually spreading chippings to keep the paths passable. AS-T stated that he would arrange for the council to deliver chippings to the site so that the volunteers could spread them. This would save the volunteers time in chipping and dead wood habitat could be retained on site.

 

HCC were shown the ‘butterfly area and plaque as well as the hawthorm/buckthorn plantings, plaque and owl boxes.

 

JW and AS-T suggested that we should remove ivy from headstones and ‘specimen’ trees was acceptable, but should generally leave it on other trees. Similarly, it was recommended that we cut back select areas ivy on the ground and remove sycamore saplings to encourage light and increase the diversity of ground flora. Selective removal of non-native shrubs should be undertaken and replaced with native shrubs layer. The use of non-native species is supported in part in line with the original planting and to increase diversity of species to make the woodland resilient to the impacts of climate change.

 

HCC supported the management of areas as open glades and rides. FOGC advised that they had undertaken a provisional tree survey in the cemetery, and of our ambition to plot these on a GPS digital map. AST confirmed that he had such a map, and would undertake a detailed survey of the trees. HCC offered their guidance and assistance in habitat management and working together to take advantage of various grants that would help to improve the value of the woodland. HCC said they would look at options to improve the ground and shrub layers in the cleared areas and would ensure they visit the site in order to provide positive outcomes for the site.

 

WL said that he would submit pond proposal.