Hard work, all this posing!

Friends chairman John East stepped smartly into action when a hefty branch of a 25ft conifer crashed down and blocked a main path through the Cemetery. While gravediggers John and Peter Dawson were scratching their grizzled pates and wondering if it were perhaps time for a brew, he moved with the speed of lightning. He jumped into his car, raced off and borrowed a couple of heavy saws from Harold Heys and Bill Parkinson before

Return of the White Lady


Martha Jane Bury has had an autumn clean-up thanks to Harold Heys and his neighbour Bill Parkinson. Oh, and a bucket of bleach.

"Everyone called her The White Lady," said Bill. "But no one knew why. Now we do!"

They spent several weeks spraying and brushing and now she looks almost back to her Victorian best. And they reckon her faint smile has widened just a little ...

click on link to Marthas story

link to Martha

FODC November 2011

Last Working Party 2011

On Saturday 26th November we held our last working party of 2011, we had a Cemetery full of Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, a Youth Group and School Children and with the help of loads of Adults we Planted 100s and 100s of Dafodills.

We planted the bulbs so quickly we had to go and buy more, the bulbs were planted in front of every Grave in Section C and on the side of the mound where the Non Conformist Chapel once stood.

I would like to thank Four Seasons Garden Centre for helping us out with the urgently required Dafodill bulbs at a very heavily discounted rate.




I would also like to thank Claires Creatures for donating for FREE plants to put in the large planter in between the North and South Lodges Entrance, we also managed to put the plants in other parts of the Cemetery.







Whilst many of us were planting Bulbs other Members were hard at it in the Nature Garden fighting against the Mud making the Stone Wall around the centre circle.







Ann made some Christmas Wreaths and Potts and any money raised Ann was
donating to FODC.

What a fantastic end to the Working Parties.





After the Working Party ended the members had a well earned break with a Spud Pie in the Cemetery Hotel.

Thank you to everybody who have helped, donated and organised the Working Parties in 2011 and look forward to starting all over again next year, especially when all the Dafodill Bulbs come out, it will be a great sight.

Our first Working Party in 2012 is on Saturday 28th January.

Photographs by Diane Davies
FODC November 2011

70s 80s Disco

On Saturday 19th November we held a 70s 80s Disco at the Craiglands Function Rooms, the night was a great success, we sold all the tickets avaliable and made £320 for FODC.
Thanks Diane and Brian for organising a fantastic night!



A big thank you to Paul & Sandra at the Craiglands for their generosity helping us make the night the success it was.



























For more photographs of the night click on the below link.

70s 80s Disco


Photographs by Diane Davies
FODC November 2011

Vandalised Graves Re-erected

The graves vandalised recently in the Eastern Cemetery have been
re-erected by Brent Stevenson this week.

Brent has kindly completed the work for free.







Before After


John East said "An amazing result of basic kindness and thought from Brent Stevenson. I have nothing but praise for the speedy re erection of these family headstones. Great to see goodwill lives on and gives the human spirit a glow"

Thanks Brent from everybody at FODC

FODC November 2011

To coincide with Remembrance Day we have researched some of the War Graves in the Cemetery

To have a look click on the names below.


Arrand L
Calvert G.
Blackledge J.
Done A.
Hindle C.J.
Orrell W.H.
Poole J.
Ward A.E.
Wilkinson H.
Yates W

Remembrance Day Sevices 2011

The first Remembrance Service on Friday 11th November 2011

Schools Commemorate the Sacrifice at Darwen Cemetery

Over 80 local children and students attended the Friends of Darwen Cemetery Remembrance Service on Friday 11th November the 11th Month in the 11 year of the 21st century at 11am.

Local MP Jake Berry for Rossendale and Darwen and local D Day veteran and Darrener, Richard Westhead also attended and help place remembrance crosses on the 97 War Graves with chldren and students from local schools in both Eastern and Western cemeteries.

Many local residents and friends attended.

Re. Lena Talbot led a short service of remembrance with local students taking part.

Schools who attended were St. Peter's CE Primary, St. Joseph's RC Primary, Holy Trinity CE Primary, St. Barnabas CE Primary, Ashleigh Primary, Sudell Primary, Darwen Vale High School and Darwen Aldridge Community Academy.

John East, Chairman of the FODC said, "It was very moving, especially with local children taking part, placing crosses on the war graves with Jake Berry MP for Darwen, Richard Westhead, several war widows and Patrick O'Reily a retired soldier from a Lancashire Regiment. It is important to remember those war graves of the fallen buried here in Darwen.

Each one is now adopted by local schools, indivuals and organisations and I pay tribute the Darwen Community who respect and look after our local war dead."

The second Remembrance Service on
Sunday 13th November 2011

"Everything was ready - gazebo up, hot and cold drinks ready, table out, leaflets ready - all was set. At 10.40am - everyone arrived. Best of all the weather was mild and the sun appear. Our special guest was Mike Coyle, Lancaster's War Memorial Trusts Coordinator. Diane Davies helping with the new sound kit and the Rev. Lena fronting the Remembrance service.

The service was attended by members of St. Joseph's Scout Group - who arrived by mini bus from morning mass. Residents of Darwen and members of the FODL joined in a moving service of remembrance, during which the sky above appeared to give us a kiss as two passing aircraft's jet-streams crossed.



Attendees were invited round the cemetery to see the crosses placed on each grave last Friday by local children and students. Refreshments served and our tribute and service of remembrance over.

The FODC again proudly thanks everyone for helping and taking part as we continue to honour the service men and woman buried in Darwen Cemetery by tending their graves and involving the community, especially young people.




Chairman John East said, "It was very moving and solemn occasion and I hope we can continue in our communities and society to learn to live in peace and harmony out of respect to the fallen, who gave so much for us in past and continuing conflicts."




Photos by Diane Davies, John East and Jayne Waring

FODC November 2011

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Graves Flattened in Darwen Eastern Cemetery

Darwen's two cemeteries have been thankfully free of vandalism, apart from the Council - inspired flattening and wrecking of dozens of headstone a few years ago in the imagined interests of "elf"n'safety."

Until Thursday evening, October 27, when eight headstones in the Eastern Cemetery were kicked over by young scrotes. Fortunately none of the headstones appear to have been broken and no doubt they can be stood up again.

Police are investigating and are confident that they will find those responsible.

There was a similar incident in Great Harwood a couple of days later where one councillor said those responsible should be "birched on the town gates."

No doubt his plan will shock the namby-pambies and the do-gooders. Most reasonable people will hail an excellent idea.

A spokesman for the Friends of Darwen Cemetery said: "There was probably a small group of yobs and not all of them would have been responsible for this wanton vandalism. It only needs one of those kids, someone who does know right from wrong, to make one phone call and mention a few names."

And he urged: "Do it. Do it now."

A visitor to the Cemetery, a young man, had little faith in the justice system making an example of the vandals. "All it needs is for the names of those who have done this to be passed round. People will know who they are. A lot of hefty young lads have relatives buried in the two cemeteries and they would be happy to meet up with them and, er, ask them politely not to do it again."

Another visitor, an elderly woman, commented: "When you look at those headstones lying flat you have to think that it wouldn't have taken much to shove them over. The bases look very weak. But I suppose that when they were erected vandalism wasn't as rife as it is now."

FODC November 2011.

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FODC are invited to the Mayors Parlour.


Coun. Foster invited the FODC to the Mayors Palour to thank them for the work they have completed. Each volunteer was presented with a Mayor's Certificate of Appreciation.

The Mayor Coun. Karimah Foster with Friends of Darwen Cemetery at Blackburn With Darwen Town Hall.


Coun. Foster said, "We appreciate the work you do in the community and value your contribtion, especially in the restoration, restoring and preservation of Darwen's heritage cemetery and giving the people of Blackburn with Darwen a place of value, peace and serenity. Very Well done."

Coun. Foster presents Rosemary with a certificate of appreciation.





FODC November 2011

A great walk - and a crowd of 140

WE really couldn't believe how many folk turned up for our latest walk on the eve of Hallowe'en. Guides Tony Foster and Harold Heys had billed it as "Torment and Tragedy" and that's exactly what the large crowd got - all 140 of them.

The walk lasted over an hour. It started in late afternoon sunshine and finished in almost total darkness with dozens of torches lighting the way, many of them held by youngsters.

Afterwards everyone had coffee and biscuits and orange juice under a brightly lit gazebo and bought Tony and Harold's brochures which describe the afternoon tour.

Councillor Karimeh Foster, the mayor of the borough, dashed back from a civic engagement in Manchester to attend the event. "Really enjoyable," she said. "It must have taken a lot of hard work."

Friends chairman John East said his group was very pleased at the excellent turnout. "It's important that we help to maintain interest in the town's history and heritage. Everyone thought it a great success."

Among the graves discussed by Tony and Harold were those of some of the victims of the 1940s bombing raid and the tram crash in 1926. It careered down steep Sudell Road in a violent storm and crashed into the billiards hall in Bridge Street.

Among the murder victims recalled were Alice Waddicor, whose throat was slit by her husband in the front room of their home in Springfield Street in 1883 as neighbours tried frantically to break in to save her; Julia McDermott, of Olive Lane, killed in a hammer attack by her brother-in-law at his chip shop in Whalley New Road, Blackburn in 1932 and, later that year, Annie Farnworth, a frail little six-year-old who was raped and strangled by a mentally ill teenage neighbour in Kay Street.

The walk ended with the desperately sad story of eight-year-old Albert Yates, running on ahead of his brothers and sisters after Sunday School at Grimehills in the spring of 1897 to find his parents dead in the blood-spattered kitchen of their home, Moss Side Farm, at Blacksnape, with their throats slashed. George Yates had killed his wife Ann and had then slit his own throat, almost severing his head.

The coroner recorded that George had killed his wife while he was "temporarily insane" and they were buried together in the same grave.

Some 20 years later their son, Albert, was killed in the closing weeks of the Great War and he is also remembered on the same headstone.


FODC October 2011

Lottery Grant Events 2011

click on the below link to see events and dates

Lottery Grant Events Page

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