FUNDING

Ruth Webster of the Groundwork Trust secured grants from Kensington Regeneration and Community 7 totalling approximately £8,700 during her involvement in 2002-04. The majority of this money was spent on employing David Holland to eradicate the Japanese Knotweed infestation in the cemetery over a period of several years, to get a structural reports prepared by Sutcliffe Projects and to purchase a brush cutter with which to tackle the overgrown foliage.

Major work is required on the boundary walls, front archway, front wall and outer gates of the cemetery in order to ensure their safety and continuity. In an updated structural report prepared by Sutcliffe Projects and dated 20 June 2007, the cost of the work required was estimated as follows:

In light of the magnitude of the expenditure required, some major fund-raising is going to be necessary. In April 2007, thanks to the interest of staff at Kensington Regeneration, as well as local councillors, activists and fundraisers, a funding committee was set up to approach this task and regular meetings are proving very productive.

The committee made the decision to apply for Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) funding in the summer of 2008, following changes to their application procedure, in order to tackle the items in the Sutcliffe estimate. The committee received a visit from a member of the HLF staff in October 2007 and a pre-application meeting is scheduled for mid-June.

In the meantime, there are a number of other items felt to be important, most of which are not covered by the estimate. These items would also be outside the remit of the HLF, so alternative funding sources had to be found. During the autumn/winter of 2007-08, quotes for a number of the number of these have been sought and received from various contractors. The most favourable quotes at the end of April 2008 are as follows:

All the costs in the second table above are inclusive of VAT. Some of these, such as the gates and railings and the re-erection of tombstones are particularly good quotes. However, that for the gateposts is far higher than Sutcliffe predicted. The gateposts are solid York stone and all four shafts need replacing, each costing a minimum of £10,000. Although the idea to uplight the cemetery archway is not considered as an essential repair, the committee feels that, when combined with the renovated driveway, the entire image of the cemetery, as seen by the passer-by, will be improved beyond measure in the long-term. The archway is the outstanding architectural feature of the cemetery and it is only right that it is shown off, once restored to its original condition.

The most important of these was felt to be the reconstitution and landscaping of the driveway area: to redefine the original driveway, plant flowerbeds in the corners and a spring garden on the raised bank underneath the tree.

The New Communities Fund (NCF) granted the project £2,000 to be used towards the driveway, which had to be spent by the end of the financial year 2007-08. In the spring of 2008, the poplar tree in the driveway had to be removed, as it was considered in terminal ill-health and was becoming dangerous. This cost £1,527 and photos of the event can be seen here. The remainder of the funding was spent on replacement trees and other plants to be placed in the driveway area, once it is landscaped.

The NCF has recently invited the cemetery project to apply for a further £5,000, which can be put towards the re-erection of the tombstones. This application will be submitted shortly.

In the meantime, we are currently accepting donations via PayPal and by cheque, and details of how to donate can be found at the bottom of every page of this website.

If you have any suggestions or think you can help the with the restoration of the cemetery in any way at all, please contact us!