Achievements

During our Annual General Meeting, last October, the trustees of the society asked those members in attendance for ideas to help revitalise what we do for you, the membership. The initial outcome of this review is contained within this mailing. Instead of having winter talks and summer outings, we will become an ‘all year’ society, with a mixed offering of talks, outings and socials, with something on offer at least once per month. The card included with this mailing will detail events, beginning in April this year, through to December. I hope that you will take the opportunity to join in as many as you can.

In my last report, I stated that the UK Govt have made funds available to County Councils to identify buildings and sites of ‘local heritage interest’ which do not currently have listed status, but are considered important local heritage assets. This local list will afford some protections and the society has asked for a number of assets to be added to the list, including the Oak Brewery & Spirit Vaults, Institute Clocktower, Fridaybridge POW Camp, etc. Individual members can also propose admissions onto the ‘local list’, by visiting https://local-heritage-list.org.uk/cambridgeshire

The society continues to work with FDC Planning, reviewing planning applications that affect the town’s Conservation Areas, listed buildings and those that ‘affect the setting’ of listing buildings. Our views and suggestions are made to the Planners which help to influence their decisions.

The society has also continued its works in the General Cemetery, the latest success being the acquisition and preservation of the Octagon Church doors, which you will find protected under a lychgate opposite the entrance to our chapel headquarters (see image).

Ray Johnson, Chairman.

The Society has been unable to offer the chapel for hire owing to COVID restrictions, but has continued to pay for heating and utilities to keep the old building in good order. Meanwhile, trustees and volunteers have been forced to neglect some aspects of necessary maintenance as social distancing has made them difficult or impossible. The grant will enable rectification and maintenance, as well as providing funds for mundane yet essential tasks, including painting the long fences alongside the Lambert’s Walk entrance to the cemetery, off North End.

The hope is that as restrictions ease into the summer, Wisbech Society will be able to restart the majority of its work in earnest, backed by the funds necessary to complete the various tasks. In the cemetery grounds, the Friends of the General Cemetery have continued working as much as restrictions have allowed, but they too will benefit from funding for tools and other equipment to help them return to the project on a larger scale.

Wisbech Society held a ‘Welcome Back Open Day’ at Wisbech General Cemetery, North End, Wisbech (near ASDA) on Sunday, 25 July 2021, from 10.30am to 4.00pm. The event celebrated the completion of work funded by the Culture Recovery Grant provided by the Dept of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and administered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Among the completed works, visitors observed the freshly repainted fences to Lambert’s Walk, the replacement of a stolen section of fencing, and refreshed paintwork to the Chapel, which had also been deep cleaned internally. In the cemetery, several fallen monuments have been re-erected and others made safe. A secure storage facility now houses equipment – some of it new – used by the Friends of the General Cemetery in their tireless maintenance work around the grounds. They are keen to recruit more volunteers to help in the rewarding task of keeping the cemetery tidy and ensuring it remains the thriving haven for wildlife that it has become.

The Friends of the General Cemetery gave guided walks during the day, and visitors took the opportunity to see inside the newly cleaned Chapel and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of its surroundings. The friends also had a plant stall, while refreshments and Wisbech Society books were available to purchase in the chapel.