Britain has long embraced quirky annual honours, from Sports Personality of the Year to Shed, Horse and even Rear of the Year. Now an even more specialised title is stepping into the spotlight: Cemetery of the Year.
Keen to stand alongside better-known industries with their own awards, the country’s cemetery managers have launched an annual scheme recognising the very best among Britain’s places of eternal rest.
This year’s entries suggest that the nation’s cemeteries are taking an increasingly imaginative turn.
Although many people still imagine graveyards as neat lines of conventional headstones, memorial masons say families are more often asking for bespoke designs that capture the passions, characters and lives of those being commemorated.
Newcastle-based Joseph Richmond & Son Memorials, for example, has produced highly personalised stone tributes ranging from a double-decker bus and a motorbike to elephants and even life-sized Pioneer-branded DJ decks.
Joe Richmond, who works for the family-run firm, told the Mail: “There was this one family who commissioned a double-decker bus for their deceased who enjoyed travelling on the 308 bus running from Blyth to Newcastle day-in-day-out, passing through the main landmarks in the region.
A twin DJ decks memorial was created for Jamie “Roy” Grierson, who first became known in Glasgow clubs before performing at venues across the world
One family asked for a double-decker bus memorial in honour of a loved one who enjoyed travelling on the 308 route from Blyth to Newcastle
“We designed the full memorial to the shape of the bus and engraved all of the details.”
The firm was also asked to create a one-of-a-kind memorial for DJ and producer Jamie Roy after his mother requested a distinctive tribute for his grave following his death in 2022 at the age of 33.
Jamie, who was from Dumfries, rose to prominence in Glasgow’s club scene before playing at venues around the world, especially in Ibiza, where his appearances included major stages such as Pacha, Amnesia and Ibiza Rocks.
Richmonds responded by producing one of its most memorable bespoke headstones: a stone memorial shaped as a pair of DJ twin decks.
The company has been awarded silver and bronze memorial design awards by the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM) for their quirky headstones.
The most prestigious award at the Cemetery of the Year awards is the overall title in the best Large Burial Ground category – the graveyard equivalent of heavyweight boxers.
This year’s finalists included some industry big hitters: Canterbury City Council, Fallings Heath Cemetery in Sandwell and Thornhill Cemetery in Cardiff, which has won three gold and three silver awards over the past eight years alone.
Canterbury City Council was named the Best New Entry in the Large Burial Ground category while also reaching the final.
This quirky gravestone includes a guitar design
Pictured: a model of Sydney Harbour Bridge on one headstone
A football lover is remembered in style with a gravestone of a Newcastle FC shirt
An animal lover is remembered with a beautiful elephant design tombstone
Awards spokesperson Janet Walker said that cemeteries are underappreciated public spaces, which deserve wider attention.
She told Our News Outlet: ‘They can often be such a green oasis in an urban sprawl.
‘The Cemetery of the Year Award is about celebrating high standards in cemetery maintenance, because the public don’t always appreciate the work that goes into the lovely spaces.’
Janet, whose official job title is Burial Authority Liaison Officer, went on: ‘The competition is about recognising the work that goes into maintaining cemeteries while ensuring they remain relevant to the bereaved.’
The Cemetery of the Year Awards, co-hosted by BRAMM, judge burial grounds on 50 different criteria in three size-based categories: Large Burial Ground, Small/Medium Burial Ground and Parish Town and Community Council.
The winners will be announced on September 29 at the annual conference of the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management.
The competition covers everything – from weather management and water supplies to opening hours, anti-social behaviour measures and the types of memorials the bereaved are permitted to install.
