Churches, parish councils and community grounds in Reigate

Churchyard grass cutting in Reigate

Careful mowing round headstones and paths, planned around services and the church diary.

Churchyard grass cutting in Reigate is old-ground work. The parish church of St Mary Magdalene has parts dating back to around 1200, and out on Reigate Heath the old windmill has served as a chapel of ease to St Mary’s since 1880. Old churchyards tend to have uneven ground and leaning headstones, and they need a slower hand than a garden lawn.

We mow round headstones without chipping them, strim by hand around graves and memorials, keep paths clear for visitors and funerals, and leave the wilder areas alone if that’s what the church wants. Village greens, verges and other community spaces get the same careful approach.

Churchyard maintenance around services and funerals

We check the diary with the churchwarden or parish office before each visit and plan around services, weddings and funerals. Mowing is done where a machine can go safely, and the rest is strimmed by hand so stones and memorials don’t get damaged. Paths, porches and steps are cleared of leaves through autumn and winter. Hedges and boundary walls are kept clear of growth, and main hedge cuts go in outside the nesting season, after a check for nests.

Churchyard grass cutting for wildflower areas on lean, sandy ground

Many churchyards now leave part of the grass long for wildlife, cut once at the end of summer and collected. We’re happy to work to that kind of regime, or to an existing specification. It suits the local soil. Reigate Heath, on the same sandy greensand as much of the town, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its heather and acid grassland. On lean ground like that, cutting and removing the hay keeps fertility low, which is what lets finer grasses and wildflowers hold their own.

Churches and councils in Reigate: your questions

Anything else, just ring. You’ll speak to the people who do the work.

Will you quote for a parish council grass cutting contract?

Yes. Parish and town councils around Reigate can send us a written specification and we’ll price it. A single churchyard, or a handful of parish sites on one contract, is exactly the kind of work we want.

Do you take the churchyard grass cuttings away?

Yes, for cut-and-collect areas and wherever the church prefers it. Clippings leave with us rather than sitting in heaps by the wall.

How often should a churchyard be cut?

Paths and the main mown areas usually every two to three weeks in the growing season, and wildflower areas just once in late summer. We’ll fit the schedule to what the church wants and what the budget allows.