The Churchyard is a beautiful place in a peaceful setting.  It is quite natural being against a nature reserve and so it hosts a whole range of wildlife; from glow worms to deer, slow worms to badgers, 'wasp' spiders to a barn owl!  It is a lovely place to come, sit on a bench, enjoy the peace and ponder memories whether with a smile or with a tear.

The churhyard is an important aspect of the life of our community.  There is a leaflet to introduce the churchyard to you which can be found at the back of St.Mary's Church.

CHURCHYARD FRIENDS

The Churchyard is managed as the church garden by the Parochial Church Council with the help of volunteers from the congregation and community.  The 'FRIENDS OF ST.MARY'S CHURCHYARD' meet for a working party to keep it tidy on the third Saturday morning of each month during May-September from 0930 - noon.  Why not bring your gardening tools and join us in the fellowship of caring for the churchyard?  Those who have the graves of loved ones in the church yard find the 'friends' to be a great source of encouragement and friendship.

MEMORIALS

If you would like a memorial placed over a grave then you can approach a local stonemason who should guide you, help you chose an appropriate memorial and who will then apply to the parish on your behalf.  You are of course welcome to contact the vicar about this if you wish, but he often first hears of memorials directly from a stonemason with your request.  Please note that the stonemason should follow the diocesan regulations in terms of the memorial application.  

REGULATIONS

The churchyard is regulated by the Diocese of Portsmouth through the Chancellor of the Diocese.  A summary of the regulations is in a Churchyard leaflet which can be found at the back of St.Mary's Church.  The Chancellor's full regulations can be read in the church porch or visited online at www.portsmouth.anglican.org following the tab path: info>resources>online diocesan handbook>appendices (appendix III).

NB.  These notes also appear on the Funerals page under Life Events on this website.