SEVENTY-two graves at Darwen Old Cemetery will be re-erected and repaired after an action group received cash help.

The Friends of Darwen Cemetery were awarded £5,950 by Darwen and Rural Neighbourhood Board to complete the work in the Victorian ‘C’ section near the Ashton Memorial.

A dedicated ashes scattering area will also be built.

John East, chairman of the group, said: “We applied for £11,000 and got about half, but it’s enough to do this section and we are very pleased.

“It will be a real milestone in the history of the cemetery. We are turning things round from deterioration to something the community can be proud of.

“Hopefully our stonemason can start soon and will have completed the work by July.”

The Neighbourhood Board has advised that the group is looking for matched funding from Darwen Town Council, and the application is being considered.