The obituary notice of Margaret Eve Mbe DENNIS

I met Eve in 1985 just before Prince Philip and I launched at Assisi in 1986 the first ever meeting between the major faiths and the environmental/conservation movements from around the world. It was Eve who had come up with the idea of creating a movement or organisation to help churches turn their churchyards into mini-ecosystems through careful management of the land. This included not cutting the grass ever Saturday and letting damn areas be, plus providing bird and bat boxes.

I was delighted to support her and for some time was the Chair of her Living Churchyards initiative which she steered through a very scepticial English Nature. Her simple assumption that the churches would want to this with 'God's Acre" as churchyards have been called and that the formal, rather dull environmental movement would be supportive meant, it just happened! Her remarkable ability to be very humble and to get exactly what she wanted was fascinating to watch. Almost single handed she brought over 7000 church yards into ecological management, often linked with the church school. Not only has this lasted to this day -unlike the vast majority of environmental schemes - but it has been copied in many other countries around the world.

She was a pioneer, an inspiration and her achievements will live on for centuries. Not something one can usually say with real confidence but Eve saw that working with faith as a motivation means you are building for generations to come.

Martin Palmer

Eve Dennis was instrumental in the birth of the national charity of which I am now director - Caring for God's Acre. With her pioneering work on the rich biodiversity within churchyards and the idea of a Living Churchyard, she inspired the first Caring for God's Acre manager (at that point it was a local Shropshire based project) putting us firmly on our way. She gave support, advice and also passed on all of her resources, many of which we still use to help those caring for these havens of wildlife.

I thank God for my memories of Eve. I got to know her many years ago through the International Ecumenical Fellowship and particularly remember the keynote lecture at our conference in Vierzehnheiligen in Germany in 1989 where she spoke so convincingly about care of creation. I remember hearing glowing reports too of her work with the Arthur Rank Centre for issues in rural ministry where she worked closely with a Methodist minister. A lovely warmhearted lady and wonderful Christian.

Gwen Knighton