Wildflowers bloom under new cemetery management plan

She said that after the committee decided to review how they manage the 15 vergee area, wildflower growth appeared to have taken off after it was decided to adopt a more "pollinator patch" approach to the cemetery.

"Big strides have been made," said Mrs Cohu, who was elected president at the start of the year.

"The groundsmen are now fully on board with the committee's decision to operate in a more environmentally-friendly way and are keen to work with us to increase biodiversity on the site."

Mrs Cohu said they had evidence of a barn owl nesting in one of the trees on the property and owl pellets had been discovered on the ground, which had really pleased them.

As significantly, she said, the cemetery staff had stopped using weedkillers such as those based on Glyphosate and were instead trialling the use of a solution of white vinegar, salt and washing liquid instead as a more environmentally friendly approach to weed control. 

Mrs Cohu said that with better weather forecast this week, it was a good time for people to visit the area and see for themselves what a peaceful and tranquil area it was and a pleasant walk.

• Seven new areas of biodiversity importance have been identified in the north of the island and are among a total of 56 sites which planners are assessing for designation. The top two are the old Bordeaux Quarry landfill site and Creve Coeur at Chouet, which was also formerly used as a rubbish tip.
• Also nominated for designation are the cemeteries at the Vale Church.