Sea Cadets clear up Wardsend cemetery

The Cadets spent time picking up litter and clearing pathways at the cemetery, which is the resting place for over 30,000 Sheffield residents, including military personnel from the nearby Hillsborough Barracks.

Since its loss of status as a legal burial ground 30 years ago, little has been done to maintain the cemetery, which has fallen largely into neglect.

The local authority took over responsibility for the maintenance of the site in 2010 and, along with conservation group ‘the Friends of Wardsend Cemetery,’. they plan to cut back and control the vegetation, eradicate the Japanese Knot-weed that is slowly taking over, and reinstate the footpaths.

Committee member Howard Bayley said: “Our recently reformed ‘Friends of Wardsend’ Cemetery group are absolutely delighted at the recent involvement of the Sea Cadets. They are clearly determined to make a real difference at Wardsend and feel a connection to the cemetery both geographically, and in terms of its military history.

“Wardsend is a previously neglected Victorian cemetery with a wealth of history linked to the local area including its connections with the barracks and the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864. It feels like a missing piece of Sheffield’s cultural and natural heritage. I believe the Sea Cadets will be great partners in the years ahead as we move forward with our project to sensitively conserve and improve the site and surrounding area to make it somewhere that everyone can appreciate.”