East Finchley named 'Cemetery of the Year'

One of Westminster’s cemeteries has beaten off strong competition from the across the country to scoop the coveted 'Cemetery of the Year' award.

East Finchley cemetery, in north London, won the top accolade after beating off four other finalists from around the country and 55 entries overall.

The cemetery was particularly commended for its immaculate appearance, with finalists judged on a wide range of criteria from design and maintenance, environmental sustainability through to facilities on offer for the bereaved.

The annual awards, held in Harrogate this week, are organised by the Memorial Awareness Board and the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management. Westminster Council also accepted the “Best Memorial” prize on behalf of the stonemasons TW Leef, whose intricate memorial graces the cemetery.

The competition was originally devised to encourage and reward high standards amongst Britain's cemeteries and to raise public awareness in the role that cemeteries play within the community. Cemeteries can be an important local resource in areas where no other open space exists and they also provide a wealth of historical, social and ecological information.

East Finchley is a glowing example of this, as also shown by the national Green Flag Award it earned earlier this year.

The prestigious Green Flags, which are only bestowed on parks and open spaces considered outstanding by the Civic Trust, were awarded to a record eight green places in Westminster - despite being one of the most densely populated areas of the country. In 2008 Westminster will be entering no less than thirteen sites for Green Flag awards as London prepares to host the Olympics in 2012.

It adds to the growing tally of awards to Westminster Council's Environment and Leisure department which has scooped in recent years Best Park, Best Toilets, Cleanest City, Greenest Fleet, and Nations in Bloom.

Councillor Alan Bradley, Cabinet Member for Street Environment, said:
“I am delighted that East Finchley cemetery has been recognised as the best in the country, which is testament to the hard work and dedication of our parks team.

“We are justifiably proud of our substantial achievements in maintaining and improving all three cemeteries in Westminster. This national recognition is particulary pleasing given the past history of Westminster’s cemeteries. ‘Cemetery of the Year’ shows that we have well and truly moved on."

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