South Ealing Cemetery to Benefit from Lottery Funding
Ealing Parks Foundation successful in bid for £20,000 award
Trustees and volunteers at Open House event, September 2025. Picture: Ealing Parks Foundation
May 20, 2026
South Ealing Cemetery’s two Victorian chapels, long recognised as some of the borough’s most atmospheric heritage buildings, are set for a new chapter after the Ealing Parks Foundation secured a £20,000 award from The National Lottery Community Fund. The grant will support a growing programme of conservation, community engagement and environmental improvements at the 21-acre cemetery, which has served local families since 1861.
The funding represents a major step forward for the Foundation’s work at South Ealing, where volunteers and local residents have increasingly come together to care for the site. The cemetery’s twin Grade II-listed chapels, once at risk of further deterioration, have become a focal point for renewed interest in the area’s history and biodiversity. The Foundation’s co-chairs, Jane Fernley and Paul Carter, said they were delighted by the award and the recognition it brings to a project that has already drawn strong support from visitors and neighbours.
The Ealing Parks Foundation has been active across the borough since 2020, stepping in at a time when public funding for parks and green spaces was under significant pressure. In its first years, the group helped coordinate volunteer gardening sessions, supported Friends groups, and raised funds for improvements ranging from new planting schemes to wildlife habitats. It has also played a role in promoting biodiversity, encouraging residents to take part in citizen-science surveys, and advising on sustainable approaches to park management. At South Ealing Cemetery, the Foundation has already organised community clean-ups, heritage walks, seasonal planting days and events designed to reconnect people with the site’s natural and historical character.
The new grant will allow the Foundation to expand this work. In the immediate term, it will provide equipment for volunteers, new bird and bat boxes, climate-resilient planting around the war memorial and entrance beds, and clearer, more accessible signage across the grounds. Longer-term ambitions include an audio trail exploring the cemetery’s nature and history, additional nature-based activities for families and schools, and the potential appointment of a project officer to support community involvement.
The Foundation hopes that these improvements will help transform the cemetery from an underused heritage space into a welcoming place for reflection, learning and environmental stewardship. This summer’s programme of events reflects that ambition, with regular volunteer gardening sessions, conservation activities around the chapels, the return of the Wandering Fox Market on 6 June, and a guided bat walk on 24 July.
Further information about upcoming events and volunteering opportunities can be found on the Foundation’s website or via its Instagram account, where updates on the South Ealing project are posted regularly.
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