Offenders have been diligently restoring a medieval churchyard in Midsomer Norton as part of their court-ordered sentences this month. The group, engaged in supervised unpaid work, have been enhancing the grounds of St John the Baptist Church.
Their tasks have included clearing invasive brambles, pruning overgrown trees, and leveling burial plots to preserve the churchyard’s historic character. Hilary Denning, Church Warden at St John’s, expressed gratitude for their efforts: “We sought help from the Community Payback team to remove a large spoil heap of soil from the churchyard’s center.
“The dedicated group accomplished this challenging task with great hard work, restoring our churchyard to a peaceful and attractive space. Recently, they have begun clearing the thick bramble tangles encroaching on the area’s edges.
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“We are truly thankful to the team for making such a visible, positive impact on our community.”
St John the Baptist Church, which is nearly 900 years old and Grade II listed, serves as the final resting place for soldiers from both World Wars.
Community Payback is a court-mandated program requiring offenders to complete unpaid work to give back to communities they have affected. Sentences can range from 40 to 300 hours of such work, with up to five million hours delivered nationwide annually.
His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service view Community Payback as an alternative to prison sentences, aiming to alleviate overcrowding in jails. They have announced plans to create 14,000 new prison places and increase probation investment by approximately 45% by 2028.
As of 2024, UK men’s prisons are operating at over 99% capacity, a situation linked by the Ministry of Justice to increased violence among prisoners and between prisoners and staff.
Those interested in supervising Community Payback projects can seek opportunities through the His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service careers website.