In 2018, a community group of volunteers, The Friends of Hull General Cemetery,[2] was formed and have taken on the challenge of caring for this heritage site of special natural interest.

During its short life it has generated a significant amount of interest in the cemetery from the general public[citation needed] and plans are afoot to bid for local and national funding to make the cemetery a more hospitable place for the community to visit yet still retain its historical significance and environmental importance for future generations.

[18] The Hull General Cemetery Company sought liquidation via the courts which it achieved in 1972 leaving the site without ownership.

Eventually, after questions asked in Parliament the site was sold to Hull City Council for a nominal sum of £1 in 1974.

Public opposition to a plan for renovating Hull General Cemetery, backed by notable persons such as Philip Larkin and John Betjeman, was overruled.

The Friends of Hull General Cemetery are actively working to create an oasis for the community in the heart of the city.

The 'Friends' hope to achieve this over time by clearing up the graves and headstones, by encouraging the diversity of flora and wildlife, by promoting historical research, and most importantly of all by getting and keeping local people and organisations involved in its upkeep.

[34] In c. 1889 the cemetery was expanded westwards, with additional land on the opposite side of Chanterlands Avenue,[35][map 8] a further mortuary chapel was built in the extension.