Burying the Competition!

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Penwith Pet Crematorium named Winner at the Cemetery the Year Awards 2008

The Memorial Awareness Board (MAB) is proud to announce that Penwith Pet Crematorium of Penzance, Cornwall was named Winner in Category F: Pet Burial Sites at their annual Cemetery of the Year Awards (Complete list of winners 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
  • 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, Brnyford, 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

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you for your comment Richard. The original Press Release was sent in by the Memorial Awareness Board (MAB). I have forwarded a copy of the original release to your email for your interest. Best regards, Aren

  2. I read this story with great interest. Can I please ask who issued the press release? Was it Penwith Cemetery, MAB or Ancestry.co.uk? I’d like to make contact with them.

Comments are closed.