Friends of Cemeteries Groups
In 2008, the Council entered a contract with Dignity PLC, for the provision of bereavement services for Rotherham. This partnership saw Dignity take on the responsibility for East Herringthorpe Cemetery and Crematorium along with the maintenance of the eight other municipal cemeteries located throughout the Borough.
- Rawmarsh, Greasbrough Lane
- Rawmarsh, Haugh Road
- Rawmarsh, High Street
- Maltby, Grange Lane
- Masbrough, Psalters Lane
- Moorgate, Boston Castle Grove
- Greasbrough, Town Lane
- Wath Upon Dearne, Cemetery Road
Dignity PLC subcontract to Glendale Managed Services Limited, to carry out the landscaping and grounds maintenance at each site.
RMBC Bereavement Services, retain responsibility for the cemetery chapels at four of the sites, associated buildings and boundary walls on some cemetery sites.
Friends of Cemeteries Groups
Friends of Cemetery groups are groups of like-minded individuals, who have a passion for their local community, with a particular interest and pride in their local cemetery and the people that use it, whether a modern cemetery or one steeped in history.
RMBC Bereavement Services and Dignity PLC want to support local communities, and enthusiastic volunteers to get involved with existing groups or to develop new friends of groups in all our nine cemeteries.
We aim to help create a welcoming and informal environment for Dignity and the Council to consult with local people and the wider cemetery visitors on issues important to you. This will help us to work collectively on identifying issues, areas of improvement and plans to maintain each cemetery to the highest standards our sites deserve.
This collaborative working will enable the public to have a sense of ownership and pride in their cemeteries, established through open discussion and community projects at each site, and to have a voice in the management and development of the cemeteries.
Friends’ groups are also a fantastic way to meet members of the local community, make new likeminded friends who are eager to get involved, create inclusion, learn about your local history, and on occasion, get your hands dirty and work up a sweat with some direct voluntary work.
All the friends of groups will be independent of the Council and would be self-managed by the volunteer members. Dignity and Bereavement Services can provide support, training, and funding information to help establish groups and when required.
Our aim is to create a support network, between all our friends of groups and friends of groups in our neighbouring authorities. We would also encourage wider networking, by supporting groups to eventually joining the National Federation of Cemetery Friends National Federation of Cemetery Friends, who are a great resource to tap into.
We hope our friends’ groups will develop over time and eventually take on interesting projects, that they can work collaboratively with Dignity on, to improve the cemeteries for the local community and generations to come.