September 6th dawned bright and sunny, which was a great relief to the organisers of the Churchyard Tidy-up , long planned for that morning.

Although the suggested time had been from 10-12, some started to arrive at 9 oclock; by 10am about twenty-five people of all ages had turned up. Everyone brought their own tools… rakes, saws, spades, forks, trowels, secateurs.. and even machinery to clear out the debris from the ha-ha. Jobs were suggested, allocated, undertaken. In the warm sunshine the work started… anthills were removed from graves, almost lost paths were re-instated, and unwanted saplings dug out of the wild area to make space for wild flowers.

Hard work was rewarded by scrumptious home-made cakes – lots of them – and coffee and tea. This, of course energised everyone still further, and yet more work ensued. There was much chatting amongst neighbours who had not met each other before, and acquaintances which were renewed. 12 oclock came and went and still the chatting went on, the last leaving only at 2pm.

What a great morning! – hard work, fun, and above all successful.. St Katharine’s has never looked so good!