AN urgent appeal has gone out for volunteers to keep Heaton Cemetery from reverting back to overgrown woodland.

"I've been doing this for almost 20 years," said Margaret Gray, secretary and chairperson of the Heaton Graveyard Community Project and a former Heaton resident. "We started the project in 2003, but with the coming of Covid it brought the project to a grinding halt.

"When Covid hit last year, we were not able to visit as we were all of that age group where we couldn't travel or had our own health issues.

"I'm nearly 80 and I've moved to Grassington so we're at the point where we have nobody to continue. A lot people who supported us are gone now or have move away.

"We do have one faithful volunteer who keeps it need and tidy.

"The project as it is now will continue for a year but the reality is if we don't have get any more volunteers the graveyard will revert back to secondary woodland, which it was 20 years ago."

Mrs Gray said that the area in 2003, in addition to being overgrown, had problems with people congregating and there was drinking and drug use.

"We spent thousands of hours in that graveyard to get it into the shape it's in now," said Mrs Gray.

She said at the time the volunteers had to cut down 60 young trees and they found loads of rubbish and drug paraphernalia.

But they had one surprising find - a foundation stone.

"That was a joyous occasion," recalls Mrs Gray. "It would break my heart if we can't find anyone to help.

"It's been a great joy to work with other people to create this wonderful place in the village.

"It's been a very peaceful and delightful place in the heart of Heaton

"We really need a group that will reform," said Mrs Gray.

She said the project has someone who cuts the grass and attends to the trees on site, "we just need some people to clear the area of clutter and rubbish.

"This had never happened before," Mrs Gray said, referring to when Heaton Graveyard Community Project was formed in 2003.

"The graveyard goes back to 1824," she said. "It was opened to accommodate the village which were mostly Baptists at the time."

She said that Heaton has a long history and was even listed in the Doomsday book and the Baptist chapel next to the cemetery was built in 1750, making it one of the first in West Yorkshire..

Anyone who is interested in volunteering can ring Mrs Gray on 01756 228592.