ABOUT THE FEDERATION
The formation of the National Federation of Cemetery Friends was the result of heritage and conservation minded groups concerned about the decline in care of our Victorian cemeteries meeting like minded volunteers. The threat to these important burial grounds from developers and negligent owners and managers of the cemeteries was the motivation to the conservationists to make a positive and practical stand. In some cases local groups formed specifically to influence public opinion against a threat to a particular cemetery and later started researching the heritage and "promoting" the site with guided walks. In other cases the friends formed to either preserve the wildlife and fauna or to make the cemetery more widely appreciated by taking walks, publishing guide books and giving talks.The Federation was established in 1986 mainly from London based groups and now has members from Scotland to Cornwall. The cemetery care organisations have now spread to an international level such as the Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe and we have associate members in Australia and New Zealand.
Many cemeteries have become sanctuaries for rare plants, fungi, fauna and animals. As pressure grows on the adequate provision of burial space in the UK, the subject of cemeteries is now coming back onto the political agenda. The Federation works with the Ministry of Justice [Coroners' Division] and other NGO's in considering provisions for proposed new burial laws in the UK.
Glasgow Necropolis
Members of the Federation meet annually for the AGM and the venue varies each year with a mix of provincial and London based locations with the added incentive of a guided walk around the local cemetery either before or after the formality of the AGM. Members welcome the opportunity to network, visit stands of other societies and learn of updates on current issues such as monument safety or the proposed new burial laws. New members are made very welcome and often long term contact and friendship is established with other Friends' groups often resulting in exchange visits to their local cemeteries.
Brookwood
