Cemetery wins title

A PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL competition has been won by the town cemetery in South Road for the second time in four years.

It has taken first place in the Cemetery of the Year Award organised annually since 1998.

The competition is organised by the Cemetery and Crematorium Management Institute as an incentive to local authorities to achieve and maintain improved standards in the facilities under their control.

Bourne was entered in the B Category for sites of 12 acres or less which it last won in 2002 and so receives a second marble plaque which will be erected alongside the first at the cemetery entrance.

The success is a particular accolade for ground staff at the cemetery who have been working with renewed vigour this summer in a bid to bring a coveted title back to Bourne. Supervisor Alan Townsend and his assistant David Flear with help from the Stamford and Bourne Learning Disabilities Group, vowed to do their best to repeat this success but were fully aware of what was involved.

Their dedicated labours were rewarded on Tuesday evening during the awards ceremony at Harrogate in Yorkshire when it became the only cemetery in the east of England to win an award.

“We are absolutely delighted and regard this as a reward for all of the hard work we have put in”, said Alan. “We see the cemetery as one big garden and keep busy to make sure that it looks its best all year round. David and I keep the grass in trim and look after the flowers and trees and we have always thought that we have one of the most attractive and best maintained cemeteries of its size in the country and this has proved it.”

The cemetery was opened in 1855 and covered four acres but was extended to 5½ acres in 1909 and a further two acres were added in 1999 and is now known as the new cemetery. The remains of 10,000 people are buried there, most of the graves being marked by memorial stones, and accessed by a series of footpaths with each section marked for easy identification. There are shrubs, rose bushes, holly and yew trees, conifers and laurels, and memorial seats for visitors to rest, and all must be regularly maintained if the cemetery is to be kept looking its best at all times because it is open every day from dawn to dusk.

Said Alan: “We entered the competition two years ago but were unsuccessful although we did pick up on comments by the judges about improving certain areas in the cemetery. Since then, we have put in compost bins and a wheelchair for the disabled and screened off the compound area where rubbish is stored. We also started laying down slabs underneath benches that have been donated and this has improved safety.”

Awards administrator Mary Jones said in the adjudication:

Judges felt that Bourne cemetery feels very tranquil and peaceful. The site is very neat and tidy and the planting is very good. They were also impressed by the availability of a wheelchair for disabled visitors and a composting box for public use. Cemeteries are important cultural landscapes and these awards have been established to recognise this fact.

The title was previously won in 2002 before Alan was appointed and the cemetery supervisor was Peter Ellis, although David Flear was working there at that time. The adjudication reflected their dedicated work because the judges said:

This is everyone's ideal of a cemetery with a picture postcard entrance consisting of a lodge, a lavender and rose bed, chapel and entrance drive, and surrounded by old headstones and yew trees. There is also a great deal of excellent topiary on yews and other trees which give added interest to the area.

The last time Bourne won, Peter Ellis and Councillor Mrs Shirley Cliffe, chairman of the town council's amenities committee which is responsible for cemetery administration, were in Scarborough on Monday 16th September 2002 to hear the announcement of their success and to collect the two engraved and gilt-lettered plaques that have been erected on a plinth at the entrance to the grounds. Since then, the work of enhancing the cemetery has continued with 30 yew and holly trees contributed by Lincolnshire County Council planted to line the main path.

“We never underestimate the challenge of winning again because the competition is so fierce”, said Alan “and we were never told when the judges were likely to arrive except that it was between June and August and so we ensured that the cemetery was in tip-top condition at all times.”

Councillor Cliffe, who accompanied Alan to Harrogate for the awards ceremony, said afterwards:. “It was a fantastic achievement. We obviously have the right men looking after our cemetery.”

See also The Town cemetery

NOTE: Photograph courtesy The Local newspaper