Westerleigh Cemetery & Crematorium, near Bristol, is marking 30 years of serving its local community by issuing an open invitation for people to visit on Saturday 23 July.

The crematorium is hosting a Community Open Day between 10.30am and 12.30pm to commemorate three decades and are hoping lots of local people will want to join in.

Visitors will be able to meet the crematorium’s friendly staff and find out more about the exceptional care they provide.

There will be guided tours of the crematorium taking place every 30 minutes (the last tour starts at 12.30pm) and people will be able to ask any questions they have.

Light refreshments will be available at the Willow Tree Café and visitors will also be able to see the 30th anniversary memorial tree which has been planted to mark three decades of service.

There are also plans to bury a time capsule on site to mark the 30th anniversary and visitors to the open day on 23 July are being invited to bring with them any item(s) they feel might be suitable to be included in the capsule.

Shaun Chapman-Young, site manager at Westerleigh Cemetery & Crematorium, said: “We pride ourselves on having very close links with our local community, which is why we wanted to have an open day in order to commemorate our 30th anniversary with people who live in the surrounding area.

“We are hoping lots of people will come and visit our peaceful and tranquil grounds, and we would love it if they would like to get actively involved in our anniversary by bringing with them something we can put into our time capsule.

“They could be items which reflect 2022, which the future generation can open in 30 years’ time and reflect on, or perhaps they could be items which also look back to 1992, when Westerleigh Crematorium first opened.

“The open day is free to attend, and no booking is required. We are really looking forward to meeting lots of local people on the day.”

Westerleigh Cemetery & Crematorium, which opened in 1992, is now home to the national headquarters for Westerleigh Group, the UK’s largest independent owner and operator of crematoria and cemeteries, with 37 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.

Local developer Ian Pratt formed a consortium which successfully responded to an advertisement in the summer 1990 edition of Resurgam, the quarterly journal of the Federation of British Cremation Authorities, which set out a brief for a new crematorium to be built on a 22-acre site owned by Northavon District Council.

That consortium became Cremation Management Limited and Westerleigh Crematorium opened on 27 August 1992. This also provided a foundation to what later became Westerleigh Group.

Shaun said: “During the past three decades, Westerleigh Crematorium has proudly become a major part of the local community.

“Firstly, of course, we have always strived to deliver the highest possible standards of service, providing exceptional care in a beautiful setting, so that families can remember, mourn and celebrate the lives of their loved ones in a way that is uniquely personal.

“In addition to the care and support we have given to so many local families, we have also helped many local charities and organisations, through financial donations, fundraising events and other support.

“People are at the heart of everything we do, from employing the right people to provide the level of care we pride ourselves on to building strong relationships with our local Funeral Directors and business partners, and our local communities.”

For further details about what is happening on the open day, visit: https://bit.ly/3yxX85a