The Diocese of Lichfield has a partnership with the charity, Caring for God’s Acre, which provides free advice on churchyard maintenance. They produce a biannual publication called the Lychgate - see the 2020 Spring/Summer issue as an example.
Since 1993, the Churchyard Awards have encouraged parishes to take pride in the sacred grounds that surround our places of worship, encouraging care for the spaces that results in places that people appreciate when coming to remember loved ones and also having benefits for the native flora and fauna.
A panel of judges will visit participating churchyards through the summer before awarding one of five levels of achievement and a separate certificate where wildlife care is significant. They carefully compare the sights before them with a clear list of criteria.
Details on the 2023 Churchyard Award scheme are now available - deadline to join the 2023 scheme is 10 April 2023.