New Forest Crematorium celebrates one-year anniversary

New Forest Crematorium has celebrated its one-year anniversary serving communities in and around New Milton, Bournemouth and Christchurch.

It is part of Westerleigh Group, an operator of crematoria and cemeteries, with 37 sites across England, Scotland and Wales.

The team at New Forest Crematorium has engaged with the local community through making donations from its metal recycling scheme, like all Westerleigh’s sites.

With the consent of families, metals recovered during cremation are recycled and any money raised is used to support charities and other “worthy” causes in the communities surrounding every crematorium and cemetery which are part of Westerleigh Group.

New Forest Crematorium has donated money to its neighbour, the Ballard Water Meadow, through this scheme and will be making many more donations in the future.

Graeme Horobin, site manager at the New Forest Crematorium, said: “We are proud of how we have engaged with our bereaved families and local communities in our first year. We’re a welcoming place where people find comfort, not just on the day of their loved one’s final farewell but at other times, to remember a loved one or just have quiet moments of reflection in a fitting and peaceful environment.

“We will always strive to assist families should they wish to have something a little different, in addition to accommodating those who still prefer traditional funerals. We’ve brought people together, too, with more than 50 visitors attending our very first Christmas Carol and Remembrance Service in December, which was very successful.”

He added: “We also held a Christmas celebration and thank-you evening for our local Funeral Directors, which was our way of thanking them for helping us to get established. During our first year we have also installed three bee hives and produced 100 jars of honey, which we were able to treat our local funeral directors and other visitors to.

“We’ve had a positive first year and are so pleased with how we have been welcomed into the local community. We now look forward to strengthening the relationships we have been forging over the past 12 months.”