Communities Fund has provided £635 of match funding
Support Volunteering - Where Heritage Meets Nature
Sheffield, England, United Kingdom
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Aim
To enable our volunteers to care for our historic green community space that supports urban biodiversity and Sheffield's climate resilience.
Who are we, and what is our project about?
We are the Sheffield General Cemetery Trust (SGCT – registered charity no 1103158). A volunteer-led, dedicated and enthusiastic group supported by a small team of part time paid colleagues (equal to under 2 full time staff), we have spent almost 40 years transforming a forgotten, derelict and dangerous Victorian cemetery into one of Sheffield's most beautiful green spaces – a tucked-away treasure where heritage meets nature.
Formerly the Friends of the General Cemetery, SGCT’s 130+ volunteers and small team of part time staff currently deliver:
- Conservation and restoration work to maintain and enhance the natural and heritage aspects of the Grade II* listed 1836 landscape
- Family-friendly nature walks and workshops, that engage the local community and raise awareness the importance of the park as a local nature reserve and local wildlife site
- Research to rediscover and tell the stories of the Cemetery and its 87,000 occupants
- A varied events programme (from music, concerts and performances through film screenings to food festivals) to connect Sheffielders with the park, one of the City’ best kept secrets.
Alongside our educational and heritage activities, we have a key role in protecting and promoting the natural environment in the park, as guided by our ‘Discover, Protect, Communicate’ strategy. We discover what wildlife we have and explore it through surveys and research, protect it through targeted conservation work, and we communicate our discoveries and our work with schools, families and visitors through tours, exhibitions and events.
We recognise that urban green spaces like ours provide crucial climate and health benefits to local communities. They protect people from pollution and help reduce the impact of severe weather events on communities. Green spaces also cool down our neighbourhoods – without them, dense urban areas get much hotter and stay hot longer. Trees and plants capture carbon from the air and help cut down noise from traffic and city life. Just as importantly, these spaces give people a chance to connect with nature, which we know is good for both our mental and physical health.
A well-maintained, accessible green space makes lives healthier and happier. Our mission is therefore to uphold and maintain the Cemetery as a haven for both people and wildlife – where heritage meets nature.
Why are we crowdfunding?
To raise money towards the costs of running the Trust. We receive no revenue grants and have to raise every £1 we spend on the Cemetery. Each year we contribute some £240,000 of volunteering time, plus another £200,000 of our own budget, almost all spent locally. We coordinate a group of over 130 engaged volunteers from the local community who help us to maintain the Cemetery as a space for all. Many of our volunteers support our fundraising by advertising and running our events. Some work to manage the balance between nature and people to maintain local access to a green-lung in a dense urban environment. Others support the urban heritage of the site, rediscovering and telling the stories of those buried here, and preserving our two historic buildings, which are of regular use to the local communities.
Climate change means more extreme weather – hotter summers, heavier downpours, longer droughts. Sheffield needs every green space working at full strength to protect residents. Sheffield’s General Cemetery park does this naturally, but only with proper care and sensitive interventions that are guided by appropriate surveys and research.
Behind every piece of work done on the Cemetery is a dedicated volunteer who needs suitable support. We need funding to recruit, equip, train and manage our volunteer teams. We want to keep supporting our volunteers as they care for this historic cemetery and protect the wildlife that calls it home. We want to keep offering volunteering that's good for people's mental and physical wellbeing, helps Sheffield cope with climate change, and safeguards the biodiversity that makes this place special.
How we’ll spend the money raised
Donations make all the difference to Sheffield General Cemetery Trust. Our budget for 2026/7 shows a need to raise £27000 from donations and grants for running costs. This helps us to cover the cost of our paid team of 5 part-time colleagues who manage our volunteers that keep the cemetery's natural areas and buildings attractive and accessible. As busy throughfare on the edge of the city centre and open 24/7, it takes constant work to maintain the unique combination of nature and heritage that is unique to Sheffield General Cemetery.
All funds raised will help cover our day-to-day running costs, including essential roles like our Volunteer Manager, so we can keep our green space safe, clean and well-maintained, in line with our 'Discover, Protect, Communicate' strategy. This will support the recruitment, development and training of volunteers who maintain landscapes, survey and establish protection areas for wildlife, and raise environmental awareness to visitors through volunteer projects and engaging on-site activities open to all.
Funding will also be used to purchase and maintain materials and essential equipment, including adaptive tools for volunteers with age and disability-related needs, or those who need financial support to volunteer. And to ensure our programme of fundraising and educational activities is well-organised and delivered safely.
How you can help
There are three simple ways to get involved and support our project:
Make a Donation – Your support keeps this vital green space working for Sheffield communities. As a small charity, every donation, no matter the size, significantly helps us to carry out our work to enhance biodiversity of the habitats in our landscape.
Share & Visit – Mention us to friends, family and your wider network. Share our website and social media accounts. Tell others how parks protect us from climate change.
Volunteer – If you’d like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch via social media or write to us!
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 27th October 2026 at 10:41am