A NEW ‘green’ initiative by Calstock Parish Council is seeing children help to maintain graves at Albaston Cemetery whilst also combating plastic pollution.

The Green Graves initative in partnership with Delaware and Gunnislake Primary Academies will involve pupils helping to maintain graves for families that may be unable to do so due to poor mobility or distance. The initiative will also offer alternative tributes on graves without the use of plastics and synthetic materials, aiding the parish council’s objective to reduce plastic on graves and promote the use of natural flowers. Last week the first group of children from the academies visited the cemetery to practice planting perennials in a ‘mock-up’ grave with the assistance from local horticulturist, Claire Roper.

At Albaston Cemetery, although there are natural flowers growing, there is still a variety plastic items visible on graves particularly in the older graves section including plastic wreaths, ribbon and florist foam. These synthetic materials break down causing pollution in the soil and the waterways. Following the parish council declaring a climate emergency in 2019 the Green Graves initiative is one of the ways the council is taking action in response to this.

Families interested in the project will be offered a selection of perennials or seasonal bulbs to purchase and the school children will be shown how to plant them by Claire. The parish council can provide a package of plants such as crocuses, lavender, the forget-me-not flower among others, with some having symbolic meanings that may be pertinent to families. Groups of children will ‘adopt’ a grave and will then check on the plants and keep the graves tidy: weeding, watering and dead-heading as required.

The project began last week with Sally, Georgia, Allana, Josh, Bettsie and Henry from Year 4 planting a selection of plants in their mock-up grave and were all very enthusiatic about the initiative with some having an evident passion for gardening.

‘I would appreciate if someone did this for me’, said Henry who expressed he had lots of experience gardening at home.

The project will also involve the children learning some of the history of the person’s grave that they are ‘adopting’ to enable the children to develop an understanding of the person and their life. Once planting is complete, the children will be able to share pictures with the family members of the flowers in bloom. The aim of the project is to help develop children’s practical skills whilst raising awareness of bereavement, history, social issues, horticulture and the environment.

Clare Bullimore, deputy clerk to Calstock Parish Council said: ‘We’re trying to phase out plastic and any synthetic materials.

‘We do understand that people want to leave tributes but we just want to offer positive alternatives that are more natural.

These plants will be more sustainable, low maintenance and are a lifeline for bees and butterflies.’

Horticulturist, Claire Roper added: ‘People often put the plastic on because they aren’t going to visit very often. Ultimately this plastic is going to wash down into waterways and go into the land. If we put plants that are perennial we won’t have to keep putting new ones in.’

Lynn Cox, headteacher of Delaware and Gunnislake Primary Academies spoke of the enthusiasm of the children wanting to get involved with the project.

‘We’ve been inundated with offers, in the end we had to put names in a hat’, said Lynn.

‘It will be nice for the children to find out about the person and know some of their history so that they feel more attached to looking after the grave. I think the project is important because it’s giving something back to the community.

‘It’s also good for the children as they are the future and they know about the harm that plastics do and their generation are all about that.’