A campaign has been launched to restore a historic graveyard to its former glory.

Plans to regenerate the graveyard at Heaton Baptist church are being put into action by a group of Bradford residents fighting to protect the Victorian cemetery. According to the church register 8,625 people are interred in the Vict-orian cemetery which has become overgrown and dilapidated because of years of neglect.

Margaret Gray, 61, of nearby Emm Lane, is a regular visitor to the cemetery and is determined to secure its future. She organised a meeting to get people helping which was well attended with representatives from Bingley, Sandy Lane, Keighley, Allerton and Bankfoot.

As a result she has formed the Friends of the Heaton Graveyard and is looking for volunteers willing to give time. She has also appealed for any families or businesses connected to the area who may want to donate funds

Mrs Gray said: "My family has lived in the area since 1862 and I think I have family buried in the graveyard. It is sadly neglected and overgrown.

"The cemetery is a focal point because it has beautiful monuments but they are covered in ivy.

"It's been an eyesore for many years and people have tried to tackle it on a voluntary basis, but it's not sufficient. We're hoping the people of the area will rally, specifically the younger generation. Heaton is an ancient village, a very important village in days gone by. The graveyard has historical value - not only does it tell you about who the people were who lived here but also their occupation, occupations that are long since gone such as quarrymen and shoemakers.

"The Baptist church have been the caretakers of the church since 1866.

"The families of many of the early graves are no longer in existence and over the years members of the families have become old and unable to maintain the graves. The congregation is small and consists of elderly members of the village. It's impossible to expect them to maintain the upkeep of the cemetery."

Backing her efforts is Bradford district ward Councillor Stanley King (Con, Heaton). As a Heaton councillor, I'm aware that the graveyard is overgrown and am certainly supportive of the move restore it," he said. "Many of the people who have family buried there have moved away. I have a few family graves in the cemetery myself which I keep up with, but there are others."

The Reverend Tony Newnham, of the Baptist church, said: We're very much in favour of cleaning up the cemetery. The problem has been the shrinking number of people attending over quite a considerable period."