Prior to Remembrance Sunday, volunteers helped contribute to the upkeep of a historic place.

The very first Community Matters Partnership annual volunteering day took place at Brookwood Cemetery.

Volunteers from 14 member companies assembled under the watchful eye of the Cemetery’s deputy manager.

The deputy manager said: “The day was a great success: so much work was done!

“We filled a 30 ton green waste skip and over 150 one-ton bags of green waste - in under 3 hours! Litter pickers filled over 10 bags of rubbish.

“In addition, about 12 tons of rubble was disposed of to help establish a walkway from the railway tunnel. It looks amazing!

“The volunteer team completed about 3 to 4 weeks' of work in a day. Our thanks to CMP and those involved for doing an outstanding job.”

During the day, work involved clearing the site of the former Necropolis Railway, now disused. It was opened in 1854 to carry corpses and mourners from London to Brookwood; it had become overgrown over the years.  

To everyone's surprise and delight, volunteers unearthed two wheels which may prove to be part of the original Necropolis train!

Rachel Austen, who organised and managed the event for CMP, commented: “It's great to see the way that people got so involved in this project. Since we planned the day, it's attracted a lot of interest from our members who want to do something for this extraordinary place.”