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MENTION Allan Grafton in footballing circles, around Manchester, and you will turn people’s heads immediately. Mention Allan Grafton in Gorton Manchester and you will be greeted by lots of people saying, ‘Oh Allan Grafton, great bloke, he’s a friend of mine!”
Footballers in all corners of Manchester will state how much Allan Grafton helped them in some way. We put on an annual football night every year, for the last few years, and special guests appear such as, Peter Barnes, Tommy Booth, Trevor Ross, Ella Toone, Les Chapman and Joe Bunney completely free of charge. They come to support the Willow Wood Hospice but the real catalyst for their appearance is Allan Grafton. They know him and respect him.
Allan Grafton is on, or has been on, a raft of committees in Gorton, in East Manchester. He chaired groups such as the Friends of Debdale Park, Friends of Gorton Cemetery, Gorton All Together and the Gorton Events committee. He was awarded an MBE by the Queen in 2006 in recognition of his efforts and he was further rewarded by being appointed as one of the High Sheriff’s Commissioners the Queens representative in the region.
Dad-of-three Allan, who also has three grandchildren, became Manchester FA director and has been at the heart of grassroots football in Manchester for over 50 years, and was awarded an MBE in 2006 for his unstinting work in football and in the community. Royal mail Darts Association Chair.
Whilst attending his parents grave thirty years ago, Allan Grafton decided that his local cemetery in Gorton was in a terrible shape and the old church was becoming a danger to children and animals.
Here’s what he did about it.
Allan remarks: “There was no point moaning about it. I thought, let’s try and form a small committee and see what we can do.” And so he did, forming Friends of Gorton Cemetery Gorton All Together, who got to work transforming the cemetery and removing the disused church. Local pubs and clubs in the area helped to fundraise the money needed for work, which was added to thanks to a grant from the council. Green thumbed residents volunteered their time and put the hard work in – bringing brushes and shovels, getting stuck in on the project. After completion, the cemetery was awarded the Green Flag in 2012, the international quality mark for parks and green spaces, managed by Keep Britain Tidy.
Alan added: “We turned it into a lovely garden where people can sit and reflect. The same people that objected to it actually said that I did a fantastic job in the end.” Impressed by the efforts, the council asked Allan to speak at meeting Blackley Cemetery to encourage other areas to follow suit.
Allan said: “I never thought that me, a lad from Gorton, would be at the front talking to everyone like that. It really came home to me.”
Thanks to his encouragement and the dedication of hundreds of other local people, four cemeteries in Manchester have now received the Green Flag Award.
Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making all these sites in Manchester worthy of a Green Flag Award.” “To meet the requirements demanded by the scheme is testament to the hard work of the staff and volunteers who do so much to ensure the high standards of horticulture, safety and environmental management and is a place that supports people to live healthy lives.”
