The Friends of the Rosary was originally formed to campaign against the laying flat and clearance of headstones in the early 1980s. The Friends was re-established in late 1999 to help with the maintenance of the Rosary, particularly with the older section which was suffering from a lack of resources. All grave owners have a responsibility to maintain their plots but with many of the older ones the families have either died out , moved away or just lost touch. This leaves some of the most interesting, attractive and historically important memorials without anyone to care for them.

The combination of the Friends' activities with that of the Norwich City Council Grounds Management team and the Trust for Conservation Volunteers was so successful that the Friends won Norfolk's 2008 Community Biodiversity Award for Local Groups.

The Friends have also carried out extensive historical research into both the establishment of the Rosary by the Reverend Thomas Drummond and the histories of those buried there. This is used to form the basis of tours of the Rosary Cemetery run by the Friends during the Spring, Summer and Autumn months, covering the history, wildlife and architecture. During the winter the group runs clearance days where some of the forgotten graves are cleared  and in some cases subsequently repaired. Details of these activites are published on the notice boards situated at the Rosary Road and Telegraph Lane entrances as well as at the end of the newsletter section on this website.

The Rosary is open daily, providing a quiet refuge from the bustle of the city, and also a haven for flora and fauna. If you would like to help preserve this unique site why not join the Friends of the Rosary. The group's aims are to promote the preservation, care and improvement of the Rosary Cemetery as a place of historic and natural interest and as a burial ground. 

The Group is affiliated to the The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), is a member of the National Federation of Cemetery Friends, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust and is supported in its activities by Norwich City Council who own and manage the Rosary.