St James Churchyard

In Britain today nearly all of our lowland meadows, which once played host to wildflowers, butterflies and insects, have almost disappeared. Among the few remaining areas which have never been treated with insecticides or herbicides are our churchyards and these need to be treasured and managed properly.

To achieve this the Oxford Diocese, in conjunction with the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust have developed a churchyard conservation project and the P.C.C. have agreed that St James’ churchyard be included. A large number of local parishes including Wallingford, Goring and Benson are already taking part.

The aim of the project is to create a diversity of wildlife habitats whilst maintaining a well cared for and managed appearance, and fully respecting that the churchyard is a place of worship and quiet contemplation.

The grass in areas which are not regularly used will be left to grow until September to see what flowers emerge; after that it will be cut at monthly intervals. The rest of the churchyard will be cut at weekly intervals during the spring and summer as at present. Some bushes and trees that are overgrown and are obstructing the pathway may need to be pruned or taken out and replaced with native species. The project will be undertaken by the Environment Group supervised by BBOWT