Ealing Cemetery upgrades with £20,000 grant

South Ealing Cemetery is set for a further £20,000 of improvements after Ealing Parks Foundation received a National Lottery Award grant.

The funding will support upgrades to the site’s Victorian chapels and help extend work already underway to improve the older part of the cemetery, which has been transformed into a welcoming park with help from Ealing Council and volunteers. The cemetery was named one of 10 new parks created in the borough last year.

To mark the work so far and share future plans, an open day will be held on Saturday, 6 June at the South Ealing Road entrance. Visitors can attend between 11 am and 3 pm and take part in chapel tours, restoration talks, children’s activities, refreshments, wildlife advice, guided walks, and a market featuring crafts and vintage stalls. Free online registration is available.

The open day is the first of several summer events planned by Ealing Parks Foundation, including a bat walk on Friday 24 July.

Recent work at the cemetery has included cutting back overgrown shrubs, planting bulbs and wildflowers, and restoring the chapel tower clock so the bell, which had been silent for 10 years, can ring again. The new grant will allow more work, including planting around the war memorial, improving signage, installing bat and bird boxes, and buying gardening equipment for volunteers. The group is also considering an audio trail that combines nature and local history, along with additional community activities.

EPF co-chair Jane Fernley said the award would help more people appreciate the cemetery’s nature and heritage. Councillor Lauren Wall praised the volunteers and said their efforts were making the cemetery more welcoming while respecting its peaceful character. She said the council would continue supporting the project. Anyone interested in volunteering can find out more through the Ealing Parks Foundation website.