SAIF Golden Charter

Hampshire crematorium’s positive presence

One of the UK’s most environmentally-friendly crematoriums is proud to have provided a positive presence in Hampshire since it opened a year ago.

New Forest Crematorium opened its doors in April 2022 to serve the communities in and around New Milton, Bournemouth and Christchurch.

It is part of Westerleigh Group, the UK’s largest independent owner and operator of crematoria and cemeteries, with 37 sites across England, Scotland and Wales, all set within beautifully-landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide pleasant, peaceful places for people to visit and reflect.

Like all of Westerleigh’s sites, the team at New Forest Crematorium has worked hard to ensure it provides exceptional care and a positive presence within the local community.

Site manager Graeme Horobin 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.

“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.”

Another way in which the crematorium engages with the local community is through making donations from its metal recycling scheme.

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 added: “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.”

New Forest Crematorium incorporates some of the most advanced technology in order to minimise its impact on the environment, making it one of the greenest and cleanest facilities of its kind in the country.

This ensures that it does not only minimise pollution in the local community, it also protects existing wildlife habitats and nature of the surrounding New Forest National Park.

For more information about the exceptional care and services provided by New Forest Crematorium, and of the community events it hosts throughout the year, click here.