Man’s battle to restore Sheffield cemetery inspires community to take action

Norman Zide was moved to tidy up Darnall Road cemetery after reading that fly-tippers had dumped dozens of items of furniture and household waste at the burial site on Coventry Road.

The once solo-project, however, has since gained traction and Norman is now regularly joined by members of the Darnall community who volunteer their time to do various tasks such as clearing litter, maintaining the cemetery paths, and even putting artificial flowers on graves in the hopes of making it a safe place to visit once more.

Norman said it has been backed by over 400 people on Facebook and is bigger than he could have ever imagined.

"I’ve grown up in Darnall, I've got a passion for Darnall and love the place,” he said. “I believed, as someone who is known in the area, I could bring people in to help me and the response has just been amazing.”

Not only are residents volunteering their time, but they have also donated money to help sponsor a skip to remove the rubbish and to also help pay for equipment.

"I bought the equipment myself initially just so we could make a start. I’d get itchy feet in the mornings just to get in there,” Norman said.

“It’s a big project within the community but we’re asking the community to help us in every aspect, whether it may be a skip from someone who has a business in the Darnall area or going round shops to see if they've got any tools that they can donate. It’s just grown above all expectations.”

Darnall Cemetery dates back to 1859, with the first burial taking place on August 12 that year.

The chapels that once stood there have been demolished but the graveyard is still home to 15 Commonwealth war graves of soldiers who served in the First and Second World Wars and others killed in action.

Alongside the restoration efforts, Norman and the volunteers are also hoping to share details of those who are buried there.

For more information visit the Darnall Cemetery Facebook group.

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