Westerleigh Group gifts £25k to Child Bereavement UK

Westerleigh Group has gifted £25k to Child Bereavement UK towards its vital work helping families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.

A cheque for £15k was presented to the charity at its Christmas Carol Service in London earlier this December, in support of its ‘Light A Candle’ memorial appeal.

The remaining £10k was a donation directly from one of Westerleigh’s newest sites, Mercia Forest Crematorium, from its metal recycling scheme.

Child Bereavement UK’s ‘Light A Candle’ memorial appeal invited donations of £350 to be made for each remembrance candle to be lit.

Westerleigh Group’s donation covered the cost of a candle on behalf of each of its 40 crematoria and cemeteries, plus one for Distinct Cremations – the company’s direct cremations and funeral plans provider – and one for memorial and masonry partner, AK Lander.

All the donations came from the proceeds of the group’s metal recycling scheme. With the consent of families, metals recovered during the cremation process are recycled and any proceeds from this are donated by the group to charities and other community organisations in England, Scotland and Wales all year round.

Alan Jose, ambassador for Westerleigh Group, said: “Christmas is often a particularly difficult time for the bereaved in any situation, but can be especially challenging for a child who is grieving the loss of a parent or sibling, or a parent whose baby or child has died.

“For those people, the care and support provided by Child Bereavement UK is invaluable, which is why we feel honoured to be able to make a donation to the charity which we know will be put to the best possible use in supporting people all year round, but most especially at Christmas time.”

He added: “The work of Child Bereavement UK resonates deeply with our own work and values which is why we did not hesitate to donate to the Light A Candle Appeal and make a further donation on behalf of Mercia Forest Crematorium, which we opened earlier this year.”

Wendy Bray, corporate partnerships manager at Child Bereavement UK, added: “We are very grateful to Westerleigh Group for their generous donation towards our work providing bereavement support to children, young people and their families, helping them to rebuild their lives after the devastation of bereavement.”