The Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust have been awarded a £6.7m grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) towards an £18 million project Unlocking Highgate Cemetery. This work will tackle the impact of time and climate change on both the landscape and historic structures, safeguarding the Cemetery as an active burial ground and sanctuary for future generations.

One strand within the “community” theme of Unlocking Highgate Cemetery focuses on health, particularly mental health. We partnered with the North London Foundation Trust and UCL to inform this work, building on the Healthy Parks Framework, an evidence-based policy tool designed to assess and manage greenspaces inclusively and sustainably through the lens of health, as well as Jane Faulkner’s experience leading reflective walks exploring grief and emotions at the cemetery. The Framework was co-produced with Gemma Moore, Liza Griffin and Ruth Hynes (UCL), along with stakeholders from Camden and Islington councils as part of their Parks for Health Strategy.

Read about the “walkshop” run by Jane and Catherine: Calm Yet Curious, Thankful Yet Sad: Emotions and Health in Highgate Cemetery and Catherine’s earlier blog When is a Cemetery Good for Your Health?