Six small funds. One churchyard. A working rota for each.

The Lych-gate Fund

For the timber, the shingles and the iron of the gate itself — the threshold of the churchyard, and the first thing every visitor touches. The lych-gate has been re-shingled four times since the bequest began (1962, 1969, 1987, 2025) and re-hung twice.

• Beneficiaries · Anyone who walks the path — parishioners, mourners, visitors
• Geography · The lych-gate at St Luke’s, Burton, BH23 7JD
• Annual cost · Variable; £4,200 in the 2026 appeal year
• Supported by · Burton Parochial Church Council · the Benefact Trust

Give to the lych-gate

Verge & Yew

Our mowing rota and the conservation of the wildflower verges along the north wall. The mowing of the paths and the older sections of grass falls between April and October on the second Saturday of each month. The wildflower strip — perhaps a third of the churchyard — is cut once, in late August, after the seed has set.

Verge & Yew also pays for the small annual contribution we make to the contractor who does the big August cut, when the ground is too tall for our scythes and rakes.

• Beneficiaries · The pollinators of Burton; the bereaved; walkers
• Geography · The north and east verges, and all paths
• Annual cost · About £620 in 2025
• Supported by · Caring for God’s Acre · Dorset Wildlife Trust

The Old Yew Survey

St Luke’s has two ancient yews — a large one to the south, and a younger but still substantial tree on the north side of the path. Each year on the third Saturday of July, in partnership with the Ancient Yew Group, we measure both trees and record their condition. The results are kept in a paper notebook in the trustees’ box and, since 2020, in a small spreadsheet.

• Beneficiaries · The trees; future biologists; arboriculturalists
• Geography · The south and north yews at St Luke’s
• Annual cost · £90 for tools, prints and one tank of petrol
• Supported by · Ancient Yew Group · Bournemouth University

Stonemason’s Bursary

A small annual grant — typically £400 to £900 — towards a single piece of stonework that the parish could not otherwise afford. The bursary is awarded each January, and the work is usually completed by Michaelmas. Recent recipients have been Hannah Brock (2018, 2021), James Lower (2019, 2023), and Eleanor Murray-Smith (2024).

A condition of the bursary is that the mason gives one short, open public demonstration in the church porch, so that anyone who wants to may watch the work and ask questions.

• Beneficiaries · Families with stones in poor repair; emerging masons
• Geography · St Luke’s churchyard · masons working in Dorset and Hampshire
• Annual cost · £400 – £900
• Supported by · Lettering Arts Trust · Memorial Awareness Board

Hedgerow Sundays

Six community working mornings a year — March, May, July, September, November, and a clearing-up day in late January. We meet at the lych-gate at 09.30, work until 12.30, and finish with tea and rock cakes in the porch. Tools are provided. Children welcome with a grown-up; please bring stout shoes.

• Beneficiaries · Volunteers; the boundary hedge; the parish coffee fund
• Geography · The boundary hedges of St Luke’s churchyard
• Annual cost · £180 for biscuits, gloves and a sharpening service
• Supported by · Burton WI · The Coopers Arms, Burton

See the next working morning

Memorial Stone Conservation

For unstable headstones, lichen recording, and the patient business of leaning stones being lifted, cleaned and re-set in lime mortar. Each year the trustees agree a list of three or four memorials, drawn up with the churchwardens and the parish architect. The work is done by a small Dorset team under the supervision of the diocesan archaeologist.

• Beneficiaries · Families with memorials in the churchyard; lichen species
• Geography · All four quarters of the churchyard
• Annual cost · £800 – £1,500 depending on the stones chosen
• Supported by · Diocese of Salisbury · Churches Conservation Trust