2024-01-20

First meetup of Fulham Cemetery Friends and walkabout

On Saturday 20 January, 11 members met for the first time, at Café Retro on Munster Road. We were joined by the founder and chair of the Friends of Margravine Cemetery. Afterwards we walked around the cemetery.

Photo album: FCF meetup 20/01/2024

There were 11 of us: Kelly, Keith, Rebecca, Denise, Sally, Mark, Marianne, and Lucy. Also joining were Charles and Ruth, chair and founder respectively of the Friends of Margravine Cemetery. Their input based on their 15 years' experience was most valuable!

(The mailing list currently has 17 members.)

Keith is a local history expert and had lots of interesting information about Fulham Cemetery. For example: that it includes the grave of an American Civil War soldier, who died in 1915 and was buried among WW1 plots. I will add a History page on the website in due course.

Mark has kindly volunteered to set up a Facebook group for the Fulham Cemetery Friends, which will help raise awareness and recruit more members. If anyone else is also on Facebook, please let us know if you'd be willing to be a co-moderator of the group.

Denise has offered graphic design services, such as a logo for the Fulham Cemetery Friends – thanks!

Lucy is a local ward councillor and will be very helpful in our communications with the Council.

Here is a photo album of our meeting and walkabout.

Here are links to the tree map and tree photo album.

I have given the trees numbers (2024-01 to 2024-36) – shown on the map and photo album – which will help us to refer to them in future.

Next steps:

• I have affixed signs to the gates, and will let the Council and Idverde know not to remove them.

• I'll also let them know about the dripping tap on the lime avenue

• I have put a flyer in the Munster Road Co-op's noticeboard. Everyone else who has taken flyers, please leave them at local businesses, or give them to friends or neighbours who may be interested

• I will ask the Council for a tree species list, and for their maintenance plan when it's available. I'll also ask them about a tool storage location.

Other ideas:

Please share your ideas with the group and feel free to make a start!

• Closer to April we can start working out a tree watering plan. We may have more members by then to share the load.

• We can also consider organising an event for Anzac Day on 25 April, as there are many Commonwealth graves in the cemetery.

• We can find out if the maintenance of the WW1 graves could be improved, as it seems that many of those in out-of-the-way locations are not being cleaned.

• Ideas for sourcing more trees that can be planted by volunteers.

Please write to the group mailing list if there are any points I missed, or matters you'd like to raise!

We should have another meetup and walkabout when the new trees are in leaf and when the first blossoms appear. I'm open to suggestions for a suitable venue.