1st October 2008
PRESS RELEASE
BURYING THE COMPETITION!
Cemetery of the Year Awards 2008 Announce Winners
The Memorial Awareness Board (MAB) is proud to announce the category winners for the 2008 Cemetery of the Year Awards (complete list of winners provided below).
The highly prestigious awards ceremony was held last night, 30th September at the Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth, Warwickshire as part of the Institute for Cemetery and Crematorium Management’s (ICCM) annual conference. The awards were presented by Howard Hodgson, entrepreneur and author of “How to Become Dead Rich” and MAB Chairman, Gerald Priestman.
Cemeteries and Crematoria entering the CYA 2008 were judged according to a range of criteria including design, maintenance, facilities, the freedom of memorial choice and the improvement of site regulations. Our appointed judges assessed all short-listed applicants during the summer months between June and August.
The Awards, now in their 11th year, aim to raise standards in burial grounds and encourage choice for the bereaved. It is a nation-wide competition for cemeteries, crematoria, green and pet burial sites.
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 we congratulate all of our winners!”
The main sponsor Ancestory.co.uk – the largest and most popular online resource for family and social history in the UK agrees that the Awards help 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.”
MAB received over 60 entries this year, which were all extremely impressive.
ENDS
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 is 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, Blue AV and Deceased Online. Winners’ plaques provided by: George Squire & Sons Funeral Service, and The Columbaria Company.
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 6.5 million family trees have been created and members have uploaded 650 million names and 10 million photographs.
2008 Cemetery of the Year Awards Winners
Category A: Cemeteries up to 5 acres
Winner: Syston Cemetery – Syston, Leicester
Runner-Up: Wickford Cemetery – Basildon, Essex
Honourable Mention: Castleside Cemetery – Co, Durham
Category B: Cemeteries between 5 and 15 acres
Winner: Bridgnorth Cemetery – Bridgnorth, Shropshire
Runner-Up: Redstone Cemetery – Red Hill, Surrey
Honourable Mention: Hoddesdon Cemetery – Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
Category (C) Cemeteries above 15 acres
Winner: Carlisle Cemetery – Carlisle
Runner-Up: Carmountside Cemetery – Stoke-on-Trent
Honourable Mention: East Sheen & Richmond Cemetery – Richmond, London
Category (D) Crematoria
Winner: West Herts Crematorium – Watford, Hertfordshire
Runner-Up: South West Middlesex Crematorium – Feltham, Middlesex
Honourable Mention: Bradwell Crematorium – Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Category (E) Green Burial Sites
Winner: Usk Castle Chase Natural Burial Ground – Usk, Monmouth
Runner-Up: Tarn Moor Memorial Woodland – Skipton, North Yorkshire
Honourable Mention: Gloucester Cemetery & Crematorium – Gloucester
Category (F) Pet Burial Sites
Winner: Penwith Pet Crematorium – Penzance, Cornwall
Runner-Up: Dignity Pet Crematorium – Hook, Hampshire
Honourable Mention: The Pet Cemetery – Brynford, Holywell
Special Awards
The National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM) Freedom of Choice Award
Thornhill Cemetery and Crematorium, Cardiff
Special Award for Community Involvement
Colney Woodland Burial Park - Norwich, Norfolk
The Memorial Awareness Board (MAB) Award for Best Memorial
John A. Green, ARCA, FRSA, NDD, Sculptor of Ipswich, Suffolk
The Special Award for Best Baby and Infant Memorial Garden
Gloucester Cemetery & Crematorium – Gloucester
The IFZW Award for Environmental Awareness
South West Middlesex Crematorium – Feltham, Middlesex
Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) Award for Most Improved Cemetery/Crematorium
Tottenham Cemetery – North London