Westerleigh Group’s gift to Child Bereavement UK
Child Bereavement UK has been gifted a total of £25,000 by Westerleigh Group towards its vital work helping families to rebuild their lives, when a child grieves or when a child dies.
A cheque for £15,000 was presented to the charity at its Christmas Carol Service in London earlier this month, in support of its Light A Candle Memorial appeal.
The remaining £10,000 was a donation directly from one of Westerleigh’s newest sites, Mercia Forest Crematorium, from its metal recycling scheme.
Westerleigh Group is one of the UK’s largest independent owners and operators of crematoria and cemeteries, with 40 sites in England, Scotland and Wales, all set within beautifully landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide pleasant, peaceful places for people to visit and reflect.
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 covers 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 Westerleigh Group to charities and other community organisations in England, Scotland and Wales all year round.
Alan Jose, Westerleigh Group Ambassador, 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.
“Supporting the bereaved is a core part of what we do at Westerleigh Group and we are proud of the exceptional care we deliver.
“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 the further donation on behalf of Mercia Forest Crematorium, which we opened earlier this year.”
Wendy Bray, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Child Bereavement UK, said: “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.”
To find out more about Westerleigh Group, and it’s nearest crematorium to you, visit www.westerleighgroup.co.uk and to learn more about Child Bereavement UK, visit www.childbereavementuk.org