A set of yellow high-visibility tabards has been presented to the volunteer working party who are keeping Sidmouth cemetery tidy.

For the last few months a group of local residents has been meeting at the cemetery every Thursday morning to pull up weeds and clear brambles and grass cuttings.

Cherishing Sidmouth’s Cemeteries was set up late in 2023 as a sub-group of the Vision Group for Sidmouth, with the support of East Devon District Council which owns the cemetery. This was in response to concerns over the overgrown state of the site, which was causing distress to people visiting the graves of friends and relatives.

Sidmouth Town Council has thanked the group for the ‘ongoing commitment and work’ of its members and was happy to grant a request for high-vis tabards for the volunteers to wear.

The tabards, designed by VGS webmaster Mary Walden-Till and carrying the logos of the town and district councils, were handed over by Cllr Ian Barlow, chair of the town council’s environment committee.

Working party member Jenny Ware said: “How beautiful and cared for the cemetery is looking, after so much hard work from the smiling volunteers with their newly designed hi-vis jackets.

“New members are always welcome to join us on a Thursday morning!”

The volunteer working party is open to all – and everyone is fully covered by insurance when they sign up.