PLANS are afoot to create a sanctuary garden in the churchyard at All Saints’ Church in Okehampton.

The idea was dreamed up by congregation members David and Gill Back, who first discovered the peaceful spot – a natural clearing between the graves – when they sat on the stump and listened to the birdsong.

They now want to share it more widely with the community, and are planning a sanctuary garden with four benches around the tree stump which will be topped by crown of wood carved with a prayer.

They are also planning a herb garden closer to the church, which will include lavender to attract bees and butterflies. They need to raise £3,725 to make the plans a reality, and so far have £800 pledged in donations.

David said he first became aware of how peaceful the spot was when he was verger at the parish church for three years.

‘My wife and I would get everything ready for funerals, and often a relative would ask if there was anywhere they could go and sit and just remember mum or dad or gran. We’d suggest going and sitting up there, because it is nice and quiet,’ he said. ‘If people have got problems or just want to reflect, they can go and sit on the bench and listen to the bird song and watch the swallows.’

At the moment there is just one broken down bench in the space between the graves which they hope to convert into a garden. The plan is to replace these with four curved benches around the tree stump to allow for gatherings of people.

While primarily the space will be a quiet and tranquil place for prayer, reflection and remembrance, the space will also be used for community gatherings.

David said the idea for the sanctuary garden really gathered momentum when he went to a conference about the Devon Living Churchyards Project last May.

‘A chap called David Curry, an ecologist from Plymouth, was at the conference as well and I asked him to visit All Saints,’ he said.

‘He put together a project document for us, and one of the things that came out of it was having a quiet seating area around the stump of what was the big cedar tree.

‘I suggested we could put four benches around the stump, and it just went from there.

‘This is all part of the Devon Living Churchyards project, which is part of a national project encouraging churchyards to be used for community things, but also because churchyards are being recognised as mini nature reserves because they are undisturbed. Some haven’t been disturbed for generations. You get a huge diversity of wildlife in them, from small bugs to small mammals.’

The plan is to have the sanctuary garden ready in time for Cherishing Churchyards Week, run by the charity Caring for God’s Acre in June.

Maurie Webber, a lay minister at the church, is supporting the project. ‘I love the idea of it,’ she said. ‘I think it will add something, it will be a place where people can be quiet and peaceful.

‘It could be particularly helpful to people who are struggling with bereavement or who are recently bereaved.’

To find out more, contact David Back on 07713 459189 or [email protected].

A crowdfunder appeal has also been launched. Go to www.crowdfunder.co.uk and search under All Saints Churchyard Sanctuary.