Call for Volunteers – Memorials Restoration Workshops, Willesden Jewish Cemetery
The Willesden Jewish Cemetery — House of Life — in London is calling for volunteers to help restore grave markers in its section where babies and children are buried and take part in monuments restoration workshops.
“Many of them died during the First World War and the Spanish Flu pandemic but infant mortality was generally rife, particularly for those living in crowded and poor-quality housing,” the cemetery say. “Some of the graves are unnamed and have become somewhat neglected.
The cemetery has begun the process of restoring them and has made new name plaques.
Foundations will require some re-filling and gravel needs to be laid where overgrown inaccessible areas currently exist. Existing memorials will need cleaning and the area will do well with a general tidy up. It is a challenge that needs to be met as one can only consider the contribution these children would have made to not only our community but to the world at large. In their memory, we are asking for volunteers to work alongside our team.
There will be two workshop sessions for volunteers — Sunday June 16, and Sunday August 18, from 10 am to 4 pm.
They will entail:
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Re-erecting loose headstones.
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Refixing the base on the foundation of a memorial.
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Cleaning the memorial.
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Securing the memorial joints with cement, bringing the memorial back to life
Travel expenses will be covered covered within 10 miles (16 km). There will be refreshments while on site, and social events and outings are planned exclusively for volunteers.