Our next exhibition, starting this Tuesday 27th, is Plymouth on the Move, celebrating the many modes of transport seen and used in Plymouth from Victorian times to the present day.

The heritage team will also be leading a public walk associated with this exhibition. More details on that shortly.

Come and join us on Sunday afternoon at 2pm when our heritage team will be taking a walk around the cemetery telling stories of the people who played a part in the transport of the city.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

It was with great sadness that we learned yesterday of the death of our Queen at the age of 96. She died peacefully at Balmoral, a place she particularly loved. During her long reign she has been a model of hard work, decorum and dedication to her nation, Realms, the Commonwealth and her subjects. Ford Park Cemetery Trust extends its sympathies to all those affected by the Queen's death, especially her family.

We are opening the Exhibition Centre with an Exhibition dedicated to our dear Late Queen Elizabeth II.

All are welcome.

As several of our cafe volunteers will be on holiday during September, and as our next exhibition does not start until the 24th September, the cafe will NOT be open between the 1st to 9th of September and the 12th to 23rd of September.

An exception will be the weekend of the 10th and 11th, when we have Heritage Open Days.

The cafe will resume normal opening hours from the 24th of September.

The Visitor Centre, Exhibition will be closed 21^st September due to a wake.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

It was lovely to see so many people who came to support our first public walk, Journeys from Plymouth, for nearly two years.

Thank you to everyone who joined us. We appreciate your support.

Our latest exhibition "Journeys from Plymouth" opens at 12.30 today in the Visitor Centre and the Heritage Team will be leading a walk around the cemetery on Sunday 12th September at 2.00pm, visiting the graves of some of those featured in the exhibition. No need to book, just come along, we will be pleased to see you.

The Bric A Brac and Craft Sale returns to the Northey Room on Saturday 4th September at 10.30 am and will continue every Saturday for the rest of 2021. Refreshments will be available.

New in today

Trustees Maggie Heath and Jean Northey being presented with a five-hundred-pound cheque from the Co-op Group by the Area Manager.  Present were Louise Hipgrove, Manager of their Peverell Shop and Carl Williams, Co-op Member Pioneer.

The Trust is truly grateful to receive this donation especially in these difficult times of Covid-19. 

From us all a big thank you.

Our Bric-a-Brac sales continue every Saturday and Sunday from 10.30 until 1.00 in the Northey Room, which is behind the Visitor Centre. Light refreshments are available.

This week we have a number of pictures on sale for between £1 and £5.

Please note that we will be pleased to receive donations of your unwanted items (except electrical items and clothing). We look forward to welcoming you.

The Friends of Ford Park Cemetery AGM 25th September 2020 has been postponed until early next year, due to Covid-19.

This Saturday 12th September between 10.30 and 11.30 there will be a community wildflower walk in the cemetery which is being organised by Charlotte Green of Rebel Botanists. If you wish to join her you must register in advance by e-mailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Heritage team will be setting up our latest exhibition next week looking at Devonport's Heritage.

The exhibition opens on Saturday 28 September and we are planning a complementary walk on the following weekend, more details to follow.

The cafe will be open at the usual times and we have invested in some new more comfortable chairs so please do come along, browse the exhibition and enjoy a cuppa.

With much regret, due to unforeseen circumstances the Ukulele evening 19^th October has been cancelled.

Christmas Wreaths this year will be for sale at £15 and £25 with crosses £30.

The wreath workshop will commence 2nd December 2019 and finish on the 18th December 2019.

Orders can be taken through our Office: telephone number: 01752 665442.

We are planning a bat walk on Saturday 21st September.

Please telephone 01752 665442 if you would like to come along.

Help to heal is the first book by local Funeral Director LeighAnne Wright.  LeighAnne has been part of the community for a decade and from her work created the charity Little Things and Co. after a profound encounter at work.

The charity has grown rapidly within the five years since it started and Help to heal is a result of LeighAnne's experiences both professionally and personally.

After LeighAnne's own son Beau died she was left feeling alone, confused and sad at the new world she had been thrust into.  Her approach in the book is both practical and emotional and helps guide the reader to make sense of their 'new normal'.

A structured and focused approach it is like no other baby loss book.  It is honest, thoughtful and assures the reader that being happy again does not have to be a compromise for the love of your precious child.

LeighAnne will be launching her new book "Help to heal after the loss of a baby" at Ford Park Cemetery 6th October 12.30pm - 3.30pm in the Victorian Chapel.

The book will also be available on Amazon from 6th October it can be purchased here 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Help-Heal-after-loss-baby/dp/1718106300/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538123463&sr=1-1&keywords=help+to+heal+after+the+loss

A group of thirteen people spent Friday evening searching for bats at the cemetery. Very little was seen at the Chapel but down near the big Yew tree the bats were hunting at headstone height, so everyone had really good views making it a successful night.

Added to that the bat detectors picked up Leisler's bat (Nyctalus leisleri).
Paula Skillin told us that they haven't heard it before at Ford Park Cemetery but the new detector which uses an IPAD can capture and differentiate between the different bat sounds to a higher degree than the older detectors. Leisler's bat is usually a woodland bat but as Ford Park Cemetery has so many trees it's a good habitat for hunting.

 
Those who attended also had a chance to see a Pippestrelle close up. It had been injured and was being cared for by a member of the team who is licensed to handle and care for bats.

We received these photos yesterday from Greg Bradbury together with this note -

Walking around the cemetery on 05-09-18, and being a wildlife photographer and keen nature watcher, I took a photo of a bird which, I don’t think has been recorded in your cemetery.

I have forwarded a picture of a Spotted Flycatcher, this bird is a migrant and very rare to see in Plymouth, you can now put this in your records of wildlife, also another seen on the same day was a Wheatear.

Thank you Greg.

The cemetery is a great place to see wildlife and we are always pleased when we hear of a rare species visiting us.

This Sunday 9th September, starting at 11am, from the Northey Room at Ford Park Cemetery, we are holding a car treasure hunt.

Each car is charged at £10 and the prize for the winner is £20.

A Car Treasure Hunt is a quiz on wheels and ours contains 20 exciting questions.

The route will take approximately 75 minutes and the fee is per car so please fill up with as many passengers as you can and see who is the smartest! Tea, coffee and cakes will be available at the end of your trip together with a first prize of £20 for the winner.

The Ford Park Cemetery Heritage Team will be leading Heritage Open Day walks over the weekend of 15/16 September.

Each walk will begin at 2.00pm and last for approximately 90 minutes. Walks will start at the Visitor Centre with a brief history of the cemetery and end at the Victorian Chapel where visitors will have the opportunity of viewing the World War II blitz memorial.

Each walk will visit the graves of and relate the stories of some of the notable people of Plymouth.

There is no charge for the walks but donations will be appreciated. The Visitor Centre cafe will be open from 12.30 until 4.00 each day.

Earlier this year we were looking forward to a concert from David Cotter who is a regular supporter of Ford Park Cemetery. Unfortunately the event had to be cancelled because of illness.

We are delighted to announce that David has found a date in his busy schedule to appear at the cemetery towards the end of September. The concert will also include a guest appearance from Cameron Livsey.

The concert will be on Saturday 29th September at 7.30pm in the Victorian Chapel. Tickets, priced at £10 including refreshments, can be purchased from Ford Park Cemetery Office by calling in to the office or telephoning 01752 665442. From past experience, this is likely to be a well attended event so we recommend that you purchase tickets in advance to be sure of a place.