Community services at New Southgate Crematorium

New Southgate Cemetery & Crematorium was delighted to welcome Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic families for two services of remembrance, special annual occasions organised for the local community.

Around 100 people attended the Greek Orthodox service to remember their loved ones.

Many of those who attended said they were pleased to be able to gather again in the aftermath of the pandemic.

One visitor said: “Covid was very hard on all of us; it was lovely to be able to get back to more normal times”, while another said: “I love coming to New Southgate for this event. It’s been a long time since we were last here, because of the virus.”

There was standing-room only for the return of the annual Roman Catholic service, with around 130 people attending – and not just from the Roman Catholic religion either, but others attended to seek comfort as they mourned their lost loved ones.

Tracey Dixon, Assistant Manager at North Southgate Cemetery & Crematorium, said: “We work within a very active community and events like this are of real importance to local people.

“We are proud to support and care for multi-faith communities and to be able to bring families together to commemorate and celebrate the lives of their loved ones.

“Services like these were regular events before the pandemic and we are so pleased to be able to bring people together again. The feedback we’ve had shows how people appreciate the events and the comfort they gain from attending.

“Some people told us they have been attending our annual services for many years, others said they had conversations with people who had lost loved ones and those conversations helped them come to terms with their own losses.

“One of the best things about these events are the relationships we build with our families, which is when what we do becomes much more than a job for us.”

Donations were also made during both events for Huntington’s Disease Association, Westerleigh Group’s corporate charity partner for 2022.