CYA 2008 JUDGES ANNOUNCE FINALISTS
The Memorial Awareness Board (MAB) is pleased to announce that the CYA judges have named the finalists for the 2008 awards.
CYA is an annual competition organised by The Memorial Awareness Board (MAB) that strives to raise standards in UK burial grounds; highlighting the importance they play in the community and offering choice for the bereaved.
Currently in their 11th year of competition, the Awards are open to all burial sites including cemeteries, crematoria, churchyards, green burial sties and pet cemeteries. Competition is fierce, with over 60 sites competing for the title of Cemetery of the Year! Entrants are assessed on a range of aspects including design, maintenance, facilities, memorial choice, environmental initiatives and involvement in the local community.
Awards Administrator Maria Jose Ovalle says, “The Cemetery of the Year Awards aim to give our national burial grounds, and the people who care for them, the recognition they deserve. The purpose of the Awards is to set standards for excellence and reward those sites that make a valuable and recognisable contribution to their community. We were extremely impressed with the high quality and volume of the applicants received this year – and wish all the finalists the best of luck!”
Sponsored by Ancestory.co.uk – the largest and most popular online resource for family and social history in the UK – the Awards also aim to increase public awareness of the important role cemeteries play as vital resources for historical information.
Simon Harper, Ancestry.co.uk Managing Director says, “Cemeteries are important resources for genealogical information and we see a natural link between the preservation and presentation of cemeteries in the UK. Cemeteries can often fill in the missing pieces in a family tree, and in some cases, a grave is one of the last remaining links a family has to their ancestors.”
Winners for CYA 2008 will be announced at the annual ICCM Conference and Exhibition taking place at the Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth, Warwickshire on Tuesday 30th September 2008. Complete list at the end of page.
Notes to Editors:
The Awards were established for two reasons: to encourage and reward high standards amongst the nation’s cemeteries and to raise public awareness of the importance of cemeteries, which can house a wealth of historical, ecological and sociological information.
The competition, sponsored by Ancestry.co.uk, Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM), Welters Organisation Worldwide, The National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM), ASSETtrac, IFZW Maintenance Ltd, George Squire & Sons Funeral Service, The Columbaria Company, Blue AV and Deceased Online.
Ancestry.co.uk is the largest and most popular online resource for family and social history in the UK with more than 800 million names in major collections. To date more than 6.6 million family trees have been created and members have uploaded 630 million names and 9.8 million photographs.
FINALISTS 2008
Category (A) Cemeteries up to 5 acres
Poulton New Cemetery - Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire
Wickford Cemetery – Basildon, Essex
Castleside Cemetery – Co, Durham
Syston Cemetery – Syston, Leicester
Portchester Memorial Gardens – Hampshire
Category (B) Cemeteries between 5 and 15 acres
Bridgnorth Cemetery – Bridgnorth, Shropshire
Hoddesdon Cemetery – Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
Spennymoor Cemetery – Spennymoor, Co Durham
Tudhoe Cemetery – Spennymoor, Co Durham
Redstone Cemetery – Red Hill
Category (C) Cemeteries above 15 acres
Colchester Cemetery - Colchester, Essex
Carlisle Cemetery – Carlisle
East Sheen & Richmond Cemetery – Richmond, London
Carmountside Cemetery – Stoke on Trent
Category (D) Crematoria
South West Middlesex Crematorium – Feltham, Middlesex
Carlisle Crematorium - Carlisle
Thornhill Crematorium – Cardiff, Wales
West Herts Crematorium – Watford, Hertfordshire
Gwent Crematorium – Torfaen, Wales
Bradwell Crematorium – Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Carmountside Crematorium – Stoke on Trent
Category (E) Green Burial Sites
Usk Castle Chase Natural Burial Ground – Usk, Monmouth
Dellifure Natural Burial Ground – Grantown-on-Spey, Highlands
Tarn Moor Memorial Woodland – Skipton, North Yorkshire
Gloucester Cemetery & Crematorium - Gloucester
Greenhaven Woodland Burial Ground Ltd – Rugby, Warwickshire
Category (F) Pet Burial Sites
Dignity Pet Crematorium – Hook, Hampshire
Penwith Pet Crematorium – Penzance, Cornwall
The Pet Cemetery – Brynford, Holywell