Colchester Cemetery has scooped a prize at the National Cemetery of the Year Awards.

The Memorial Awareness Board (MAB) has been promoting and organising the Cemetery of the Year Awards for nearly 20 years. Colchester Cemetery won the 2024/25 (Best New Entry) prize in the Large Burial Grounds above 10,000 graves Cemetery category of the National Competition and received the award at the ‘Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management Learning Convention and Exhibition’ on 24 September 2024.

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 can play in the community. They provide places of peaceful contemplation and beauty as well as their ecological importance.

“The team at Colchester Cemtery performed exceptionally throughout the extensive judging period which is focused on Industry Standards, Environmental Issues and Good Practice”

Cllr Natalie Sommers, Portfolio Holder for Communities, Heritage and Public Protection added: “This award is a fantastic recognition of our cemeteries team, highlighting their dedication to delivering reliable, friendly, and high-quality service to our community. The team has truly gone above and beyond, and I couldn’t be more excited for them to receive this national honour. They should feel incredibly proud of this well-deserved achievement.”