Manchester General Cemetery On Winter Break until 2013

[Spatts]

Hi Cancan, add me to your list of volunteers, just let me know the date & I will do my utmost to be there, Spatts.

[Cancan]

                                   

Hi,


Thank you, please keep on volunteering!!!




Cancan

[chirp]

Cancan
Hi - Just a couple of thoughts. Do you think that it may be worthwhile your contacting the Manchester & Lancs FHS and asking them to put something in their next journal? Also, do you think there could be an advantage in joining forces with the Rootschatters who are doing something similar at Southern Cem? Sorry I can't remember who is co-ordinating that one but I'm sure I've seen something on a thread recently.
Chirp

[chirp]

Cancan
I see you  are already a contributor to that thread.
Chirp

[Cancan]

Hi chirp,

Have contacted MLFHS and had a meet with the General Sec., they do support the idea and offered help with Transcribing and Volunteers.

The 'Friends of Southern Cemetery' is not the same as our proposal.
They just want improvements to the Cemetery, signed posts, better entrances, flowers beds, benches,  etc., that kind of thing!!

This Proposal has never been done by any Council Owned Cemetery, if Granted this will be the first, Manchester City Council are very good at being the first to do lots of things, which other Councils soon follow. 

So we are hoping that they feel the same as we do about this!! 

Our 'Grey area' is the photographing, which is being looked into. But as said this is only for the Transcribing, as written transcribing would take to long. Gravestones which are clear can just be photographed (transcribed from later - saving time as it is a large Cemetery) whilst the ones that are not so clear will have to be written from on the day.

All photographs would be given over to Manchester City Council, (when transcribing is finished) with possibly the idea/hope that they also provide a photograph of the Gravestone as well as the Burial Record.  (possibly monies raised to go towards the upkeep of the cemeteries!)

Patiently waiting for a reply from Mr D.L. (Bereavements & Burials Services MCC)
with Good News!!!

Thanks for Volunteering!!

Cancan

[chirp]

Hello Cancan
Many thanks for the update and for all your efforts to get this project going. I shall look forward to learning more as time goes on.

I love the doggie.
Chirp

[Cancan]

                                     

Hi All,

It's a YES!!!!!

Mr D.L. emailed today to say  "he hoped he was the bearer of Good News!!!!"

And he certainly was!!!  It's a yes!!!

Manchester General Cemetery is having Gravestones re-erected, work commences March 2011.

Hoping Mr D.L does not mind part of his email being pasted here:

Head of Bereavement Services can give permission
for photographs of headstones to be taken in exceptional circumstances and
I am pleased to say that having spoken with him he is keen to work with us
on this project and he can see no reason not to allow you to photograph the
headstones. This is of course dependant on the terms you set out that no
photographs will be published or posted on the internet and will be handed
to Bereavement Services once the transcribing process is complete.

So we now need to move this on to the next stage and arrange a day!! I'm
not sure how quickly you would like to move on this. Our options are that
we could try and arrange something once the re-erection work starts on the
headstones. I know this is a few months off but it would mean the nights
are lighter and it would give us all a chance to promote the event and try
and attract as many volunteers as we can!!!

                        ...............................................................................................

Whilst I know next year is a while off, I thought possibly a test run on a section, which has been suggested by others, to see how this would work, - method and time!!

I also have an appointment with the Manchester Library Archives next week to talk about the transcriptions with them.

Just to re-cap,

Manchester Breavement Services get ALL the Photographs when transcribing completed!!
Which was stated at meeting!!


Any suggestions, please give below, I will be emailing Mr D.L. Monday morning, so if anyone would like to ask anything or add, as I will ask for a small test run, if anyone is available for this and can suggest a date (weekends seems to be most peoples choice) let me know!!


Cancan

[Barbara.H]

Fantastic Cancan!  and Mr DL, what a star 

I would suggest if possible, do any sort of trial run before the clocks go back (on Sunday 31st October).
If most people prefer weekends and assuming you don't want us to turn up tomorrow, that leaves five weekends:
Sat/Sun 2/3 October
9/10 October
16/17 October
23/24 October (start of most schools half-term hols I think)
30/31 October.  M/cr Cemetery on Halloween, anyone? 

Myself I cannot do 2nd and 30th October, but any other date is fine. I could also make a weekday in the school hols (last week in October)

So do a day/two days photography in October, then mull over how it went and work on a trial transcribe through November?  December is busy and Christmassy, but if some trial transcription results could go online around then, even as just a basic spreadsheet (here? on the Council website? Lancashire OPC?) it should generate interest for recruitment of volunteers in the New Year. 

Looking forward to it already!
  Barbara

[chirp]

Excellent news! Keep us posted with regards to dates -I'll travel down if I can, but am away early to mid October.
Chirp