A WRITING group which met at Undercliffe Cemetery has produced a collection of poetry and prose inspired by the historic site.

Stories from Stone is inspired by the landscape, graves, inscriptions, history, flora and wildlife of the Grade II* listed Victorian cemetery. The collection came out of a series of writing sessions led by Bradford author Irene Lofthouse, held at Undercliffe Cemetery's Lodge over recent months.

"I went to school next door to the cemetery and walked through it often," said Irene. "I was fascinated by the names, work titles, inscriptions, statuary, symbols and words on the graves. They conjured faces, lives and places that spanned the world. I always wanted to spend time creating tales about such an intriguing space."

Irene approached Andy Manning, the registrar at Undercliffe Cemetery Charity, about the writing project and the committee agreed to open the Lodge for eight creative workshops.

"It's been a learning journey for us all," said Irene. "There was a mixture of new and established writers, and a lot of critical support when sharing pieces.

"I think it's true to say that all the writers were surprised at the creativity they achieved, especially as some were out of their comfort zone. There's comedy and tragedy, darkness and light in their pieces. And I have to thank them for braving the 'Beast from the East' which certainly influenced some of the writing!"

The writers - Jill Lang, Irene Lofthouse, Alyson Faye, Gillian Wright, Christine Edmondson, Pam Line and Stuart Firth -

recently presented their poetry and prose at the cemetery, in places around the site that inspired their work.

Now the book, available from Amazon by the end of June, has attracted interest from America. The price is £8 and £1 from each copy goes to Undercliffe Cemetery Charity, which looks after the historic site, nationally renowned for its Victorian graves and monuments.

Many prominent Bradfordians are buried there and there are war graves, some bearing the names of Bradford Pals. The cemetery is also popular with film-makers, with scenes for films and TV dramas including Peaky Blinders and Billy Liar shot there.