Ed’s story

‘I was in the computer industry for ever and I never thought I would be in charge of a church yard. 

‘We wanted to keep it as a rural churchyard. We wanted what we had to be the best it could be. 

‘We put several bird boxes in and we have two swift boxes up now and we have swifts. They eat all the gnats. We get kites, buzzards, that’s really lovely. It was a jungle here before. Now it’s accessible. 

‘I have got two favourite trees. One is a yew. It’s huge and it’s been there for 100 years. You can get inside it. And there’s an oak which has been there for about 50 years. It’s beautiful. 

‘It’s what a churchyard should be. It’s what a garden should be, and a churchyard is a garden, but it’s special. You get a feeling of peacefulness. You can’t hug the trees because they’re too big. I protect them with my life.’