Printing The People's Awards

These awards are different to any other kind of assessment of green cemeteries, they are not about how sustainable each site is, the facilities that are available or the way the land is managed; the People's Awards are all about the people involved, the level of service they provide, the personal touches and the impact that each natural burial ground manager has made on the famiies of those who they have helped to bury.

The Code of Conduct of the Association of Natural Burial Grounds requires members to provide families arranging funerals with them an opportunity to complete a NDC Feedback Form which is returned directly to the Natural Death Centre headquarters. We receive dozens of these forms every week, the vast majority praising the burial grounds and the people involved. Any concerns or complaints are instantly responded to and reported back to the ANBG member concerned.

Earlier this year, almost 1,000 forms received from families who had funerals at one of the ANBG member sites during the previous year were scrutinised by the trustees and staff of the NDC. The results were logged and analysed, and after many hours of work, a winner and a close runner up in each of the eight qualifying regions across the UK were identified.

Overall Winner:

Norfolk Bluebell Wood, Hainford, Norfolk

Regional Winners:

Westhope Green Burial Ground, Shropshire

Cairnbrae Natural Burial Ground, Kellas, Dundee, Angus

The Willows Natural Burial Ground, Leicestershire

Norfolk Bluebell Wood, Hainford, Norfolk

Hay Meadow Burial Ground, Llandrindod Wells, Powys

Atlantic Rest Natural Burial, Bude, Cornwall

Forget Me Not Fields Natural Burial Ground,Wirral

Riverview/Deerton Natural Burial Ground, Kent

Alne Wood Park Natural Burial Ground