Norton Friends in the burial ground (Tees Valley Wildlife Trust)
Norton Friends in rewilding project
'Friends at Norton Meeting House want to make the garden accessible to people from the surrounding estates, which rank very high on the indices of multiple deprivation.'
Quakers in Stockton-on-Tees are working with Tees Valley Wildlife Trust to use their burial ground for nature and local people.
Based in a community with one of the widest income disparities in the UK, Friends at Norton Meeting House want to make the garden accessible to people from the surrounding estates, which rank very high on the indices of multiple deprivation. They also hope to benefit wildlife, but, because no one knows where the bodies are buried in the burial ground, digging in the simple mown lawn is not allowed.
The project is part of the Wildlife Trust’s Nextdoor Nature initiative, with Norton Quakers working with a local youth group to create a garden space that can be enjoyed by everyone. The Wildlife Trust’s Nextdoor Nature project aims to address inequalities of access to greenspace and nature.
Speaking on a YouTube video about the project (https://youtu.be/RwFBLlmjLeI), Rhiannon Murphy, a Norton Quaker, said: ‘Quakers are a group that branches off from Christianity. Respecting the nature around you has been quite a core part of that from the get-go.’
Another local Friend said: ‘Hopefully it will gee up our life as well as we haven’t got much youth around. And to think of doing it ourselves is quite a daunting thing.’
Fifty new community organisers are working to enable communities to take charge of creating and restoring wild places, improving nature connectedness, and providing habitats for wildlife.
Another local resident said: ‘The real benefit here is to our local community, because if everyone across Norton would start reconnecting and adapting their gardens to think about nature first, then essentially we’re living a much greener lifestyle.’
Paul Parker, recording clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting, said: ‘It is good to see Quakers working with their community to share this vital green space.’
