Friends of Bowdon Churchyard

06/10/2026

The first webinar in our Autumn series Tuesday 6th October 2-3pm is Bats in churches - people, heritage and nature. To book your place visit www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/events/webinars/bats-in-churches-people-heritage-and-nature If you can't make it on the day, the recording will be available for a week afterwards for anyone who registers to catch up at a time that suits them.

Lisa Worledge of Bat Conservation Trust will explain how timely advice and careful planning can enable essential church works while safeguarding bat populations, and highlight practical support available to enable churches and bats to thrive together.
For details of the whole series and to book visit www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/webinars-autumn-26
#𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘀

04/10/2026

Today we carried out the second of our current workdays for strimming and removing saplings in the churchyard!

Thank you so much to everyone who came to help, and also to those who came to care for their own graves and flowerbeds!
🍁🍂🌻

Caring for God's Acre
Cheshire's Wild Network
Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Diocese of Chester
Bowdon Parish

02/10/2026

Today we finished cleaning out the other six bird boxes! 🐦

Only one box showed no activity. Two had unused nests, while three contained used nests.

We’ll be sharing the full research results on our website over the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for the full findings! 🪺🔍🐣🪹🪶🕸️🕷️

Cheshire's Wild Network
Caring for God's Acre
Cheshire Wildlife Trust
RSPB England
Diocese of Chester
Bowdon Parish

02/10/2026

Bird box cleaning is underway!

We’ve started our annual bird box cleaning and are cataloging what we find along the way.

You may spot us out and about as we still have a few more boxes to check! So far, we’ve found 3 nests — along with some very interesting spiders! 🕷️

We’ll keep you posted on what else we discover. 🪹🐣🪺🪶🕸️🕷️

Cheshire's Wild Network
Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Caring for God's Acre
Diocese of Chester
Bowdon Parish
RSPB England

16/09/2026

Autumn has arrived in the churchyard!

We've been busy over the last few weeks and have managed to tick off a few more jobs.

A huge thank you to Joe and Joanna for getting some much needed strimming done on Sunday, and to everyone who came along to lend a hand.

We have also spotted lots of different fungi popping up around the churchyard, so we are planning to find out just how many different species are hiding amongst the grass, leaves and trees. 🍄‍🟫🍄

What fungi have you spotted recently? Drop your photos in the comments we'd love to see them! 📸🍄

Caring for God's Acre
Cheshire's Wild Network
Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Diocese of Chester
Bowdon Parish

13/09/2026

It was lovely to see Sue and Rob today busy replanting the borders around our church, replacing plants that were damaged during the building work, and planting new flowers around the war memorial area. 🌿🌸

Thank you both for your hard work in making our church grounds looking beautiful again. ❤️😊

13/09/2026

There is a little bit of activity in the churchyard today! We are doing some strimming and finishing off a few jobs we couldn't get to last week. 🍃

The safety tape has been replaced, and the old posters will be refreshed soon too.

Please take care around the churchyard and respect the safety warnings. ⛔️

04/09/2026

😂 🤔😂 this was sent to me by my friend Vicky, who thought of FOBCY’s little problems, just love it!!

20/08/2026

On Tuesday 11 August, we were proud to unveil our latest Blue Plaque, honouring William Wood (1782-1868), a pioneering social reformer who campaigned tirelessly against the cruel practice of using children to sweep chimneys.

Known as "climbing boys", these children were forced to climb narrow, twisting, soot-filled chimney flues. The work often resulted in deformity, chronic illness, and, tragically, death through suffocation or burns.

William Wood's determined efforts helped bring attention to these inhumane conditions and played an important role in the movement for reform.

Discover his remarkable story in our online exhibition: https://exploringtraffordsheritage.omeka.net/items/show/4211

20/08/2026

Our churchyard in the news! 📰

A blue plaque has been unveiled in Bowdon to commemorate the life and legacy of William Wood.