'Ruby and Liz helping make community tick'

YOU only need to glance at Ruby Meharg and Liz Rowley's family trees to realise why they love Longton Cemetery.

- Allison Gardner - MP for Stoke-on-Trent South

Both have generations of parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins buried there. And both were born nearby.

Seven years ago Ruby and her lifelong friend Liz, embarked on a mission to rescue the cemetery and its Grade 2-listed chapel from dilapidation and decay.

Their campaign quickly turned into a mixture of defiance and devotion.

They are among the countless unpaid heroes whose love of Longton and its rich heritage often goes unnoticed.

I want to use my column this week to pay tribute to them and other local volunteers whose efforts strengthen our community spirit.

Their unstinting hard work and commitment is what makes communities like ours really tick.

It was the sight of neglect around the perimeter of the cemetery that first inspired Ruby and Liz to launch their campaign.

"Along the boundaries the trees and shrubs were overgrown. It was an eyesore. There were piles of rubbish, empty cans, litter and mattresses, tents and used needles discarded in the undergrowth," says Liz.

"The cemetery has always been an integral part of our lives and we couldn't stand by and see it fall into disrepair."

Ruby and Liz set about a mammoth cleanup, litter picking in their spare time.