3:00pm Thursday 9th September 2010
By James Tourgout
Parishioners are cleaning up a Weymouth graveyard to improve security at a church targeted by thieves.
All Saint’s Church has joined forces with the borough council for the ground clearance on Saturday.
The move comes after lead thieves twice targeted the church at Wyke Regis.
Churchwarden Richard Shoulders said: “The church team were very concerned that the thieves were taking advantage of the volume of summer growth in the graveyard.
“So I contacted Carl Dallison, who is the head of parks at the borough council, to ask what action we could take. “The response has been tremendous and the council is really supportive of our proposal for a grounds clearance day. “We are very grateful to Carl and his team for their help.”
Church leaders at All Saints said they were inundated with messages of support from angered residents after thefts.
They have appealed for people to come to the clearance day in the graveyard, which starts at 9am.
All are invited, even if only for a morning or afternoon, to help clear the grounds and tidy the area generally. Soft drinks and refreshments will be provided but people will need to take along their own hand tools and gloves.
The parks section will selectively prune and shape trees to improve visibility of the church from the road. Churchwarden Gary Hepburn said: “This second theft has really frustrated everybody.
“The lead stolen is worth so little in relation to the amount of damage it has caused to the fabric of the church.
“There are a lot of activities ongoing right now as a result of this theft.
“We are simply not prepared for this to happen again.”
Call Gary Hepburn on 01305 778169 or Richard Shoulders on 750033 for more information.
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