Volunteers Profile: Michelle Roberts

This is a profile of Michelle Roberts, a Gravestone Photographic Resource volunteer.

A bit about Michelle Roberts I've lived in South Queensferry all my life, and have always had an interest in photography and graveyards. If I'm not photographing graveyards, you'll find me with my nose stuck in one of my 600+ books, or watching one of my 700+ DVDs. (Or looking for new ones!) I love and collect books to do with the Titanic and I like wearing the colour purple.

Michelle Roberts

Why did you become a volunteer?

I stumbled across Gravestone Photographic Resource during my very long spell of being unemployed. A depressing jaunt to the job centre led to me thinking about graveyards and thoughts of creating a website showing gravestones. My dad cleverly suggested there already would be one and we Googled, and found this! Not long after that I started photographing. Eventually managed to send a thick package off to Charles, and got an email three months later to say thank you and it had just arrived!

How long have you been a volunteer?

Since July 2009.

What type of volunteer are you?

I photograph and index and send suggestions and long emails to Charles.

How do you choose which cemetery to photograph?

I don't drive so I am quite limited by the joys of public transport. I started photographing the graveyards in South Queensferry, and have begun moving out to Edinburgh, Kirkliston and surrounding towns. Although two recent holidays to Crieff & Wick have involved making sure there were enough days for me to go graveyard photographing!

How much time do you spend volunteering for the Gravestone Photographic Resource?

If I'm photographing, it can take at least a couple of days, depending on size of graveyard, if not more. It depends how much time I have myself, and if my Dad can accompany me. If I'm indexing, minimum a couple of hours a day for at least two to three weeks per graveyard. And I normally have the music blaring, to stop me hearing the sound of the keyboard when I start bashing the delete button, as it decided to make someone's age 206!

Would you recommend volunteering?

Definitely. I feel like I've found my calling, helping people in a way find their relatives gravestones and it makes me happy. It also is a very valuable record of cemeteries throughout the world, which are sadly being decimated by new supermarkets for example!

Odds and ends

I now cannot travel anywhere without spotting graveyards everywhere and wishing I could stop the bus and spend a couple of happy hours photographing. If there was any graveyard I could photograph, it would have to be the “Titanic” graveyard in Halifax, Nova Scotia.