Friends of Darwen Cemetery

31/10/2026

Please join us

25/10/2026

Yesterday we welcomed Friends of Haslingden Cemetery to spend some time with us learning about some of the projects FODC have worked on over the last 16 years. Our two groups share much common ground with our work to preserve important parts of each town's heritage. We look forward to visiting our new friends in 2027 when hopefully the weather will be much kinder.

In the meantime our volunteers continued preparing the cemetery for some very important upcoming events. 😉

22/10/2026

26/09/2026

Back at it this week with volunteers in Darwen Cemetery on Thursday and today.

With a list of jobs to do over the next month ready for our Remembrance Services we concentrated on cutting back the self seeded willow trees on Section 2a. We also continued prepping the Nature Garden for Winter. Just for good measure we finished a grave refurbishment and started another one.

If you would like to know anything about FODC and the work we do please come along to one of our work parties for a chat. The dates are on our website. 👍

20/09/2026

At the beginning of September we asked for help when you visit Darwen Cemetery. We've had a great response. Thank You and thanks to those public agencies which responded.

However, problems appear to continue with reports of vehicles and people looking "out of place" and " not quite right".

If you see anything that you are suspicious about please report to the Police on 101. We cannot report for you if we don't see anything for ourselves. If you see damage being caused please ring the Police on 999.

Thank you.

10/09/2026

An interesting morning in the cemetery today.
Good weather for a change and even a deer came to say hello to some of our volunteers.

Lots done today. Several graves near the crossroads at top of Lark Street tended and cleared. One revealed a previously unseen inscription to a fallen soldier at rest overseas. ❤️

We also started the process of preparing the Nature Garden for Winter with dead growth removed and the stone bench given some TLC.

The grass in Section 2 was trimmed, some edging installed around the WWII Memorial site to help keep the bark chippings in place and an overgrown grave cleared on Section 4 at the request of a relative living in Australia. This revealed another inscription to a fallen soldier at rest overseas. We wonder how many more similar inscriptions lay undiscovered in Darwen Cemetery? 😔 ❤️

Please follow us for more updates as we move through the Autumn 🍁 months into Winter ❄️

03/09/2026

Back in Darwen Cemetery this morning.

Autumn is fast approaching and we're noticing some changes already. Planning for our Remembrance Services is under way along with work we need to do over the coming weeks.

Thursday usually sees the widest variety of tasks undertaken with our volunteers choosing what they would like to do. Here's a list of what we did today.

Balsam bashing
Hedge pruning and strimming in the Nature Garden
Pruning back a self-seeded tree growing in a grave partially blocking the road around Section 4
Clearing grass & weeds from path edges around Section 3 & 5
Finished pruning the hedges in the Ashes & Memorial Garden
Tidying the area around the First Burial on Section B

The list of jobs never ends. It just changes with the seasons.🌱🌞🍁❄️

Please follow us to keep updated. Also please consider nominating us for a King's Award for Voluntary Service. Our post from yesterday includes details. Thank you.

02/09/2026

Nominations are now open for The King’s Award for Voluntary Service 2027!

Across Lancashire, thousands of volunteers give their time, energy and skills to make a difference in their communities.

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is an opportunity to recognise the incredible contribution made by voluntary groups across the county — from supporting local communities and bringing people together, to caring for our environment and helping those who need it most.

Do you know a voluntary group in Lancashire that deserves recognition for the difference they make? Why not nominate them for a King’s Award?

Find out more and make a nomination at kavs.dcms.gov.uk

01/09/2026

Please be vigilant when visiting Darwen Cemetery.

There have been a number of incidents in Darwen Cemetery over recent weeks which have required involvement of the Police.

If you see any people or vehicle(s) you consider suspicious please report to the Police by calling 101 or report to them online. If you see any damage being caused please ring 999.

Please don't assume someone wearing hi-viz clothing has a legitmate reason for being there.

Thank you.

30/08/2026

Yesterday was our 3rd grave maintenance day of 2026. Thankfully the weather forecast ⛈️ was wrong (how strange 🤣) and we stayed dry. After navigating several piles of horse and dog poo (some owners are so disrespectful 🤬) we tended all 40+ graves in the scheme. Afterwards we were treated to homemade cakes & a very welcome brew.☕️🍰

As always a huge Thank You to our grave tenders, bakers, brew makers and everyone that makes FoDC what we are. 👍❤️

Ps - Thank you to all the responsible dog owners who visit the cemetery and clean up after their dog. Those that don't, why? It's a cemetery !!