Bradford people have been working hard to restore a historic graveyard to its former glory.

Nineteen volunteers from the Cathedral Centre are giving up one day a week to regenerate the Victorian cemetery at Heaton Baptist Church.

The volunteers are of all ages and include people with special needs as well as people hoping to gain experience of environmental work.

The Cathedral Centre's environmental projects co-ordinator Peter Boyd said: "This is very important project and the interest in the environmental management of graveyards has really taken off in the past few years.

"This project is very forward-looking approach to the management of churchyards."

Margaret Gray, 62, of Emm Lane, Heaton, Bradford, is a regular visitor to the graveyard and her family have lived in the area since 1862.

She formed The Friends of Heaton Graveyard Community Project last December and the clear-up began in February.

The group meet every two weeks to work on the graveyard where 8,625 people are interred. Mrs Gray said: "We are busily clearing the graves and we have done almost half the graveyard.

"The section that we have done looks totally different."

The group collected more than £600 through coffee mornings and donations.

Mrs Gray said: "My mother died recently and instead of flowers we asked for donations to be made for the graveyard."

She added: "We have a long way to go and we are in desperate need of funds.

"We have taken advice from a tree surgeon and some of the trees need a little bit of work doing to them which is very expensive." The Reverend Tony Newnham, of Heaton Baptist Church, said: "We are very happy with what they have done and hope they will continue.

"It is a definite improvement in the land and it can be used as an amenity for local residents."

The group will next meet on Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

Mrs Gray said: "People can come for an hour and do their own thing.

"They need to bring flask, sturdy shoes and any equipment that they think might be suitable."