Residents of a north-east town have banded together to clean their cemetery to make sure it can continue to be a place people feel comfortable visiting.
Friends of Turriff Cemetery was formed following years of concerns by local people over the disrepair of the town’s burial ground.
It met on Sunday for the first of its projects at the cemetery, where members worked alongside Aberdeenshire Council employees to clear leaves and tidy the paths.
Member Fraser Watson said the project was the culmination of many years of work, much of which was spearheaded by his brother, former Press and Journal farming editor, Joe who died suddenly two years ago.
Mr Watson said: “Joe was always on top of the council to try and improve the standards at the cemetery after our father passed away.
“But unfortunately he now rests there, too. So my family has a keenness – along with other families in the area – to improve things vastly.”
About 40 people attended on Sunday morning to help with work at the ground, including the local football team Turriff Thistle.
“Things are looking better,” Mr Watson added.
“It went very well and things are looking great for the future.
“The idea of the group is community involvement, even if it’s just giving and hour here or there, so it was good to see the local football team coming out today to help.
“Sitting and shouting at council meetings doesn’t work anymore. Times are changing, so we have to do things ourselves.”
The local authority has hailed the group’s initiative as a good example of partnership working between communities and council services.
It is now hoped that while the council will continue to maintain the cemetery grounds, locals will be willing to build on this work by carrying out additional tasks to improve the site for visitors.
Plans for the future include using the cemetery as an education tool for local schools.
