Friends of Ilkley Cemetery

Friends of Ilkley Cemetery Annual Report – 2022-23

The Friends of Ilkley Cemetery meet weekly on a Tuesday afternoon all year round, weather permitting.

At the end of last year, our numbers attending peaked at ten volunteers but since then we have sometimes only had two volunteers available. We have lost some volunteers due to moving from the area and others who have had to take on additional work or childcare responsibilities and no longer have time to spare. We normally average four volunteers each week.

The Friends activities include:

tidying the Memorial Avenue, abandoned graves and work to uncover overgrown and hidden graves in the Cemetery.
undertaking litter picking - though we are pleased that this has become less of an issue.
assisting families with finding and tidying family graves when requested and time allows.
liaising with Bereavement Services and other bodies when necessary to report and help resolve issues and complaints. Sadly, these have included the reports of thefts of crosses and other goods from graves last summer when it was necessary to involve council officers and the police.

In addition, the Friends have:

Produced a new leaflet - Brief Guide to Ilkley Cemetery – and copies are available in the North Chapel, Ilkley Library, Ilkley Visitor Information Centre and on request via the website.
Arranged and paid for a new Rowan Tree, planted on the turning circle close to the North and South Chapels to replace the Monkey Puzzle tree that had sadly died. (Cost: £180)
Produced a new Cemetery Information Board for the Beanlands Parade entrance which should be in place in February or March 2023. (Estimate: £828)
Arranged with Bereavement Services for tree works to be undertaken at the Beanlands Parade entrance which should take place in February or March 2023. (Estimate: £440)

Upcoming and ongoing activities include:

Review work and planting at the Beanlands Parade Entrance – once tree works completed.
Development of a self-guided walk leaflet for the Cemetery.
Research and recording of family details and photographs of graves in Ilkley Cemetery on the findagrave.com website.

If you would like more information and get involved with the work of Friends of Ilkley Cemetery or have a query regarding Ilkley Cemetery please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A Brief History of Ilkley Cemetery and the Memorial Avenue is available on the Ilkley Civic Society website at https://civicsociety.ilkley.org/friends-of-ilkley-cemetery-activities.html

The Friends of Ilkley Cemetery undertake improvement work in the cemetery, including litter picking and simple gardening jobs, researching of tombstones and natural history. Our main activities involve tidying graves, cutting back weeds and undergrowth as well as bulb planting, leaf clearing, and litter picking. We report any interesting wildlife sightings such as rare plants, bats and unusual birds to the local wildlife groups.

The Friends of Ilkley Cemetery normally meet for an hour or so on Tuesday afternoons at 2pm. Planned meeting dates are weather dependent and may also be affected by changes in Covid-19 social distancing and lockdown measures.

So, if you would like to join us then please email us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.to check the latest plans and meeting arrangements.

For assistance with family and local history queries contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For help with burial arrangements and locating family graves please contact Keighley Bereavement Services, The Library Annex, Spencer Street, Keighley, BD21 2BN Tel. 01535 618245

The Commonwealth War Graves website currently lists 46 graves in Ilkley Cemetery. Details

can be found at www.cwgc.org

Park map

For pictures and a brief history of the cemetery download: History_of_Cemetery.pdf