Friends of Heene Cemetery: 'Atmospheric' Worthing cemetery hosts Sing-along Soiree

The volunteers who care for the closed cemetery, in Manor Road, will welcome visitors on Saturday, July 9, for a Sing-along Soiree with the Worthing U3A ukulele group Roly’s Rogues and Worthing U3A recorder group from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

Gates will open at 6pm and entry is free. Donations gratefully accepted and song books will be available at £1 per session. Visitors should take their own chairs or blankets and refreshments.

Heene Cemetery dates back to 1873 and was closed for burials in 1997. It covers just under an acre and is not generally open to the public, although the Friends welcome visitors when they are working on Tuesdays and Saturdays, 2pm to 4pm.

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Thanks to a 2020 Heritage Lottery Fund grant, the Friends are working on two linked projects – research into the 1,959 people buried in the cemetery and studying the environment.

So far, 442 species have been recorded and the diversity reflects the fact the land donated for the cemetery nearly 150 years ago was old, unimproved grassland. With this meadowland status effectively protecting it from industrial farming methods and agro-chemicals, the cemetery was designated a West Sussex Site of Nature Conservation Importance in 1992.

The Friends have been busy clearing brambles and other invasive species but some areas are being left relatively unkempt, so other species can flourish.

Nearly 200 flowering plants have been identified, along with 34 butterfly and moth species, 37 settled birds, 32 fungi, 71 types of insect, 17 types of grass, 19 types of moss and 15 different hoverflies. Details of finds, including photographs, can be found on the website at www.heenecemetery.org.uk.

Volunteer Rob Tomlinson said: "The cemetery is a very special place and Worthing is lucky to have such a species-rich and atmospheric site."

Future events include Heritage Open Day tours on Saturday, September 17, and a Remembrance gathering on Saturday, November 12.

For more information about volunteering, telephone Sue Standing on 07771966846 or visit www.heenecemetery.org.uk