A COMMUNITY garden is being created at the Radnor Street Cemetery with the aim of gaining a Living Churchyard award.

In June Nature for All named the cemetery as Swindon's fifth local nature reserve.

Following this designation, biodiversity ranger Karl Curtis and volunteer ranger John Strike have been on-site looking for wildlife.

Starting with the different types of grasses and trees, they aim to build up a picture of the cemetery's fauna and flora for the first time since it was opened in 1881.

The information they find will be used for the site's Local Nature Reserve Management Plan and application towards a Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Living Churchyard Award, like that already allocated to Swindon's Christ Church.

Nature for All plans to develop a wildlife memorial garden on the site, starting with a community gardening event in October and tree plant for Remembrance Sunday on November 13.