“IF there was ever an attractive place to aspire to spend eternity in, it is here.”

The Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson, paid tribute to the dedicated team of people who look after historic Undercliffe Cemetery when he presented them with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service at a ceremony at City Hall.

Equivalent to an MBE, the award was announced before the Queen’s death and is signed by Her Majesty. It was presented to Allan Hillary, who has been made the first Honorary President of Undercliffe Cemetery Charity after he retired as chairman. Steve Lightfoot is the new chairman of the charity, which maintains, restores, researches and promotes the cemetery.

Said Mr Anderson: “I am always moved by the motivation of volunteers to do amazing things. This award is the highest a UK voluntary group can achieve. This 46-volunteer organisation has entirely changed the cemetery - it is the Highgate of the North. Where once there was a derelict graveyard is now a public space in use, which respects the dead and supports the living in a myriad of ways, all thanks to this dedicated team.”

Lord Mayor of Bradford Cllr Martin Love said that, with Bradford’s UK City of Culture 2025 title approaching, the district can include history and heritage as culture, as well as the arts: “This cemetery isn’t just part of our history - it is part of our culture.”

He added: “This is a totally deserved accolade for over 40 years of hard work. There are two pivotal individuals: Christine Chapple, who set up the Friends of Undercliffe Cemetery, and Colin Clark, who took on the mantle and worked tirelessly to restore and maintain the site.”

Mr Hillary said: “This Queen’s Award is fantastic not just for our volunteers but for Bradford as a whole. It is very poignant that this is one of the last Queen’s Awards.”

He said he’s “extremely proud and honoured” to receive the award on behalf of the volunteers whose “dedication, skills and commitment” ensures the care and maintenance of the 26-acre Grade II listed heritage site.

As well as working on the site, clearing overgrowth and unearthing hidden gravestones, volunteers have a variety of other roles, including researching burials, organising guided tours, schools visits, producing newsletters and promoting the site. He paid tribute to a team of volunteers who are digitising cemetery records, dating back to 1854 when it opened. “Steve Lightfoot was photographing 1,000 graves a week to start off this two-year project,” said Mr Hillary, who presented Queen’s Award badges to all the volunteers.

The cemetery contains 23,000 graves and 124,000 burials. Among the plots are family graves and paupers’ graves - one containing 124 people. The site has appeared in films and TV dramas over the years, including Billy Liar and Peaky Blinders.

Mr Hillary said more volunteers are desperately needed: “There are lots of ways people can help out - there’s admin work, and we need painters and decorators, plumbers and joiners. We would also love to welcome people who have served in the armed forces, to help maintain and research the plots of those who served in both world wars and other conflicts.”

l Visit undercliffecemetery.co.uk