St Helens Bereavement Service celebrates fifth consecutive Silver in National Cemetery Awards

Article date: 18 December 2024

The team, based at St Helens Crematorium and Cemetery, has once more been recognised among the very best in the country for providing bereavement support for families, and their network of services available to all.

The Cemetery of the Year Awards Competition is designed to improve standards within burial grounds and encourage best practice with information and support from leading burial authority organisations. 

On a visit to congratulate the Bereavement Services team on winning their fifth Silver Award, Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron MBE, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: 

"Our cemeteries in St Helens and Newton-le-Willows are among the borough's most important assets, where generations have come together during the most difficult of times.

"The team at St Helens Cemetery securing their fifth consecutive Silver Award is testament to the amazing officers who deliver a professional service with genuine care for our residents, the grounds team that works diligently to maintain the cemetery's green beauty, and the dedicated volunteers in the Friends of St Helens Cemetery, with whose support we maintain the cemetery's best in class standards.

Philip Potts of the Memorial Awareness Board said: "The awards are an excellent opportunity to reward hard-working staff and demonstrate the central role cemeteries and church yards can play in the community. They provide places of peaceful contemplation and beauty, as well as their historical, social and ecological importance.

"The team at St Helens Borough Council performed exceptionally throughout the extensive judging period which is focused on Industry Standards, Good Practice and Freedom of Choice."

The Cemetery of the Year Award is supported and endorsed by leading industry Associations, including the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM), the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities (FBCA), the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC), and the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM).