2016

To mark the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme, British sculptor Nic Joly, has placed 141 bronze figures holding poppies, on 141 memorials all over the country as well as on memorials abroad. The polished bronze figures stand 50mm tall with their red poppies. The figures simply stand somewhere on the memorials (possibly slightly hidden), looking out at the world, reminding us that every life lost was a golden one.

This installation is about awareness, making people stop, remember, and think about what happened 100 years ago.

We are proud to report that Hyde Park Cemetery has been chosen as one of the 141 memorials to host one of Nic Joly’s figures.

Doncaster Council is starting a full consultation in relation to dog fouling and control across the borough. This will enable them to create a more consistent approach across Doncaster and balance the needs of dog owners and other members of the community. This affects Hyde Park Cemetery, as it is owned by Doncaster Council.

In order to have your say on the proposed Public Space Protection Order, you are requested to complete the short online survey at this link, please.

The Friends attended the Battle of the Somme commemoration event at Doncaster Minster yesterday, along with other heritage groups with a link to WW1. We customised our information display to include details of servicemen in Commonwealth War Graves at Hyde Park Cemetery. We also showed information on some of the individuals.

During the morning, there was a church service to mark the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme. The service was attended by two local MPs, Doncaster’s Civic Mayor, other dignitaries, local school pupils and members of the public.

A small but enthusiastic group attended last Sunday’s Guided Walk at the cemetery. With the title “Mansion House to Music Hall”, the walk visited the graves and told the stories of a wide variety of individuals who were linked by the fact that each had a profession or occupation beginning with the letter ‘M’. With a magistrate, a musician, a missionary and a miller being among the 15 subjects, each had a unique story to be told.

The Friends are running a series of different Guided Walks throughout the summer of 2016, so please go to our Events page for details of what is coming up.

Prior to the Friends beginning to install new railings on the boundary wall at the New Street (western) end of the cemetery, Westmoreland Group have been repairing the wall, on behalf of Doncaster Council. Much of the northern half of the wall in question has now been completed. The workmanship exhibited by subcontractor Peter Moore is excellent, as can be seen from these examples.

We were deeply saddened to learn today of the all-too-premature passing of Colin Joy. Colin took up the post of Tourism Manager at Doncaster Council in July 2009 and, since then, has worked tirelessly to promote his adoptive town. In addition to his passionate advocacy of the town in general, he was a great supporter of what we are doing at Hyde Park Cemetery. Colin will be sadly missed by many people. More details are available at this link.

We are delighted to announce that the Friends of Hyde Park Cemetery have received planning permission and listed building consent for installing steel railings on the New Street boundary wall. Doncaster Council advised us of the outcome of our application yesterday. While there are some conditions attached to the decisions, that is usually the case. We do not anticipate any problem in complying with the conditions.

The images below show the New Street wall in the process of being repaired by Doncaster Council’s contractors, prior to our project to install railings going ahead.

Our latest newsletter has been completed and is available to download at this link. It is also possible to download the newsletter, as well as all previous ones, from our Downloads page.

The garden that was created last summer by young people on the Government-backed National Citizen Service scheme is beginning to establish itself. Almost all the plants have survived and thrived. The garden is located in the north-east corner of the cemetery, alongside the main entrance.

Friends committee member, Richard Bell, this afternoon presented an illustrated talk on Hyde Park Cemetery to 23 ladies of Tickhill Methodist Fellowship. The talk was well-received and we thank the ladies for being an appreciative audience. We should also like to thank them very much for their donation towards the FoHPC funds.