Tottenham Cemetery named most improved in country
Monday 6 October 2008
Staff are celebrating after Tottenham Cemetery was named the most improved cemetery in the country at a national awards night.
The N17 cemetery won the Special Cemetery of the Year Award after a wide range of improvements over the past few years, including reinstatement of its waterfall, restoration of the chapel, and improvements to roads and paths.
Judges were also impressed by Haringey Council’s introduction of new signs, repainting of gates, repairs to a memorial garden wall and installation of new CCTV cameras to counter problems with cemetery thefts.
The lake at the cemetery was also cleaned and wildlife added to contribute to the cemetery’s relaxing atmosphere.
All of this coincided with Tottenham Cemetery’s 150th anniversary celebrations earlier this year. The cemetery was taken on a journey back to the Victorian era, with staff and volunteers in period costumes and vintage funeral cars.
Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Dhiren Basu, said:
“For more than 150 years Tottenham Cemetery has provided a peaceful and attractive resting place for generations of residents.
“We saw the 150th anniversary celebrations as the ideal opportunity to make some sensitive improvements to the cemetery, and it’s fantastic that these have now been recognised with a national award.
“I’m particularly pleased for all of the staff who show so much commitment in an often difficult area of work. This is a fully deserved reward for their efforts.”
The Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) Award for Most Improved Cemetery/Crematorium was presented to Frankie Hunt, Specialist Services Manager at Haringey Council, on 30 September 2008 at a prize-giving in Kenilworth, Warwickshire.
It is the third year running that Haringey Council’s cemeteries have been recognised at the awards.
Last year Wood Green Cemetery in Wolves Lane, N22, was not only judged the best cemetery nationally of 3.5 acres and below, it also won the National Award for Innovation for the second year in a row.
The Cemetery of the Year Awards, now in their 11th year, aim to raise standards in burial grounds and encourage choice for the bereaved. It is a nationwide competition for cemeteries, green and pet burial sites.
Awards Administrator Maria Jose Ovalle said:
|back to top“The Cemetery of the Year Awards aim to give our national burial grounds, and the people who care for them, the recognition they deserve. We congratulate all of our winners!”
Photo shows: Gerald Priestman, Chairman of the Memorial Awareness Board (left) presenting the award to Haringey Council Specialist Services Manager Frankie Hunt (right).
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