THE charity that looks after and tends rural churchyards is keen to attract new volunteers in south Shropshire.

Caring for God’s Acre has a Churchyard Task Team of volunteers helping to conserve the heritage and wildlife within churchyards with the help of local communities.

Thanks to funding from the Jean Jackson Charitable Trust, the team is continuing its work in south Shropshire.

“Our 2016 programme is out now,” said Ben Mullen, the charity’s task team co-ordinator.

“We usually go out on Tuesday in south Shropshire, but look out for our Saturday task days too.

Groups start at 10am and finish by 3pm and volunteers can do as much as they feel comfortable with and stay as long as they like.

This winter the task team will be hedge laying, looking after ancient trees, making wildlife homes and building compost bins. In spring and summer they will be managing churchyard grasslands using Austrian scythes and making hay.

Training is provided for volunteers who do not have to be religious or belong to a church.

It helps to be fit but the message is that taking part will help people to get fitter and feel better.

The work planned in the coming months include scrub clearance and creating a hibernaculum at Norbury Church on Tuesday, March 8, general site maintenance at St Leonard’s in Ludlow on Tuesday, March 29 and grass management and Knowbury on Saturday, April 9.