Improving cemeteries is a NEET idea

Young people who have previously had little or no work experience are assisting Manchester City Council’s Bereavement Services to improve the city’s cemeteries.

They are helping to re-erect privately owned memorial headstones at Southern Cemetery that were laid down by the council after they became unsafe.

The project, called Renovation and Restoration with Respect has been targeted towards young Manchester residents who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs) in order to provide them with construction and grounds maintenance based skills as well as experiencing working life for the first time. The project is a partnership between Manchester City Council, Connexions and Community Service Volunteers (CSV).

The project began in February this year and the team have already re-erected over 1000 memorial headstones. This scheme not only benefits the young people but also makes a significant improvement to the appearance of the cemetery.

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for Culture and Leisure with a responsibility for cemeteries said: "Although the memorial headstones have been laid down for safety reasons, they do create an appearance of neglect and can create accessibility difficulties for visitors. The project is making significant improvements while giving young people the opportunity to work and develop their skills. We have all been thoroughly impressed with their attitude and work."

Unsafe headstones were first laid down in Manchester's cemeteries several years ago. Manchester City Council is in the process of developing an ongoing programme to re-erect them.

The council has been working with CSV to create opportunities for people to take an active part in the life of their communities through volunteering, training and community action. Last year 200,000 people gave over 5 million hours of their time as volunteers through CSV.

Keith Dodson, New Deal Manager for CSV Training and Enterprise said: "The restoration project at Southern Cemetery has given the opportunity for young people in Manchester to make an important contribution to the community and to ensure that the relatives of those buried in Southern Cemetery can visit in the knowledge that our city's young people have worked with dignity, respect and professionalism."

The original voluntary programme with NEETs has lasted for 26 weeks and the City Council hopes to roll out this and similar projects on an ongoing basis. Bereavement Services are also hoping to give the young people the opportunity to apply for apprenticeships and take an NVQ in a subject such as horticulture to further enhance their career prospects.