For Mick Woods, there is no better way to spend the working week than learning all about the life of the person whose grave he will eventually be digging.
For 40 years, Mick has worked in Mansfield Cemetery, and although he finds it a bit more tiring than he used to, he hopes to carry on working there until he starts collecting his pension in six years.
“I originally applied for a job as a gardener with the council. I didn’t get that one, but they said there was a grave digger’s job if I wanted it, so I took it and have never looked back.
“I’ve always been in a good team, and the opportunities that the council provides for learning have always been very good. I’ve been on some interesting courses, like tree work and chainsawing, as well as all sorts of different aspects of gardening.
“When people ask me what I do, I just blurt it out – grave digger/gardener – that’s what I am and what I’ve done for the last 40 years.
“You do get the odd joke, like – ‘you must work in the dead centre of Mansfield’ or ‘your job must be dead boring’… but I just let them wash over me. I’m quite happy doing what I’m doing, and that’s the main thing.
“There have been quite a few changes over the years, and lots of people have come and gone, but in many ways, the process of digging graves is pretty much unchanged. These days, more graves are dug with a machine rather than by hand.
“We only dig by hand when we can’t get a machine in or if we’re reopening a plot and don’t want to disturb the coffin.
“If the ground freezes, we just have to get through it as best we can. In 40 years, we’ve only had to cancel a funeral once because of bad weather.
“We usually fill in a grave as soon as the family have dispersed – they sometimes come back 30 minutes later, and we like to have it all tidied up by then.”
Occasionally – but more often than many would imagine – Mick and his colleagues have to carry out exhumations.
It’s not generally because of any criminal investigation but usually because when people move away from the area, increasingly they want to relocate the remains of loved ones at the same time. Sometimes, families choose to cremate the exhumed remains.
Exhumations, as is tradition in the UK, are usually carried out discreetly in the dark, just before dawn. But working in the cemetery at night – for instance, if an alarm goes off at one of the sheds – is not something that gives Mick any scares.
“It’s not those who are buried there that cause us problems; it’s those in there who are still alive that give us the grief!”
Cllr Andy Burgin, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Leisure, said: “Remaining in any job for 40 years is a remarkable achievement, and some people may think that the job of a grave digger is a rather lowly position. Far from it!
“Being responsible for ensuring that our cemeteries remain an immaculate tribute to the loved ones buried there is a big responsibility. Mick and the team do an amazing job in all weathers. They deserve to feel proud of their contribution to life – and death – in Mansfield, delivering this vital public service.”
