01 February 2021
Over 12,000 headstones inspected by Eyes On, Hands On
The CWGC Eyes On, Hands On volunteer team managed to inspect more than 12,000 headstones in 2020, despite the coronavirus restrictions.
As the country fell into lockdown early last year, our Eyes On, Hands On initiative was put on pause while the nation adjusted to the changes to our lives. Since its relaunch on 5 October 2020, our volunteers have inspected 12,838 headstones at 1,518 different cemeteries and churchyards around the country.
These inspections meant that 280 issues with our headstones were reported. These issues are passed along to our operations teams across Great Britain who will address them in the course of their normal duties.
The Eyes On, Hands On project, which is funded by Annington, allows volunteers across the country to reconnect with the history and heritage on their doorstep and help CWGC to ensure these war graves – scattered across more than 12,500 locations – are clean and well-tended.
Our volunteers visit local war grave sites in their area to conduct inspections and play a vital role in helping us to maintain war graves across the country.
To take into account social distancing rules, some aspects of the project have had to be scaled back and in accordance with the national lockdown, all non-essential travel has currently been halted.
So far over 1,100 volunteers have been recruited for the initiative, but we are still recruiting for new volunteers. As a result of overwhelming interest, some areas have reached capacity, but there are plenty of available opportunities around the country.
Kathy Jones, Eyes On, Hands On project manager, said: “Despite the challenging circumstances, our growing army of volunteers has been able to safely visit thousands of war graves, helping the CWGC to ensure they’re clean and well-tended.
“Tapping into local communities is already delivering real results for our work and giving our volunteers a rewarding opportunity in their own community.
“Anyone wishing to join us can check online for vacancies in their local area.”