The Church of England in Suffolk is urging church communities across the county to record their historic churchyard trees as part of ‘Love Your Yew Week’.
The initiative, dedicated to the care and preservation of ancient yew trees, encourages those caring for these living monuments, most of which are within churchyards, to focus on simple but impactful ways to protect them. To mark the week, from February 8 to 14, the Church of England in Suffolk is asking church communities across the county to register theirs with the Ancient Yew Group’s national index.
James Rolls, Net Zero Officer at the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, said: “Churchyards are important green spaces, enriching a community’s biodiversity and providing a home for a wide range of wildlife. Our parish communities have a long history of engaging with the environment and do incredible work maintaining and preserving their churchyards in the communities they serve.”
Among the Suffolk churches registering its yews is St Martin’s in Fornham St Martin, which became a Bronze Eco Church in 2019 and is hoping to start working for its silver.
Sarah Cooledge, a member of the Parochial Church Council, said: “The churchyard is full of yew trees which were trimmed last year to retain their shape. The churchyard is a joy on a day when the sun is shining, our four benches offer a lovely peaceful place to rest.”
Churchwarden David Yates, added: “We were delighted when we received a donated Millenium Yew in 2000, which after a slow start is now thriving.”
Love Your Yew Week is organised by Caring For God’s Acre, a conservation charity for burial grounds across the UK. There is still some debate as to why yews are so prominent in UK churchyards. Some think it’s to deter cattle, some think it’s due to its use in making longbows while others say it's because it represents eternity, linked to the Tree of Life, prevalent in many religious beliefs.
Edmund Harris, Diocesan Advisory Committee Secretary at the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, said: “Churchyards have a long history of containing yew trees, and Suffolk has some magnificent examples in its church communities. As we mark Love Your Yew Week, we would encourage churches across the county to record theirs so we have an up-to-date record of these wonderful trees.”
Harriet Carty, Director of Caring for God’s Acre, said: “We are delighted to be launching Love Your Yew Week in partnership with the Ancient Yew Group. Yews of all ages are found in our churchyards and cemeteries, a native tree that has been largely lost from the wider countryside. The ancient and veteran churchyard yews of Britain are internationally important and need our care.”
For more information on Love your Yew Week and to register a tree in your parish, visit www.ancient-yew.org