A cemetery described as ‘really beautiful’ by inspectors has become the latest Green Flag award winner in North Tyneside.
Preston Cemetery, in North Shields, is one of eight local parks and green spaces to achieve Green Flag status for 2022/2023, having succeeded in its first ever bid for the award.
Judges were impressed by how clean and well-maintained the cemetery was and highlighted its biodiversity, overall management, restored buildings, and community work as key strengths.
The Rising Sun Country Park, Benton Quarry, Marden Quarry, Killingworth Lakeside Parks, Wallsend Parks, Northumberland Park, and Chirton and Redburn Dene Parks have retained their awards and continue to be recognised among the best in the UK. The Friends of Brierdene have retained their Green Flag Community Award.
The award is the international benchmark of quality in a park or open green space and is given out each year to parks which meet the very highest standards.
A record 2,208 UK awards have been announced today by Keep Britain Tidy.
Councillor Sandra Graham, Cabinet Member for the Environment, welcomed the news. She said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive a Green Flag Award yet again for so many of our parks and green spaces and to see Preston Cemetery join the list.
“It’s quite an achievement to reach this standard in the first place but to repeat and improve on that success every year is something truly special. The awards are only possible because of the way the council and community work together.
“The Green Flag is a signal to the public that they can expect the very highest standards when they visit one of our parks or green spaces.
“Preston Cemetery holds a special place in the hearts of local people. It is steeped in local history, a haven for wildlife, and a peaceful sanctuary affording visitors some space and time to reflect. Our bereavement services team carry out their roles with the utmost dedication and I’d like to congratulate them and all of our award-winning venues on another year of success.”
Preston Cemetery opened in 1856 and is the largest in North Tyneside. Within the grounds is Tynemouth Crematorium, a recently renovated Burial Chapel, a Jewish Prayer House, and two War Memorials.
The cemetery is a designated wildlife site and is dominated by large areas of woodland.
Funding in 2020/2021 allowed for significant building improvements, while funding in 2022 will enable improvements to the Book of Remembrance room and Garden of Remembrance.
There have been over 110,000 burials (including cremated remains) since the cemetery opened. Notable burials include:
- Victor Noble Rainbird, a local painter whose work often depicted the sights of North Shields and other Tyne harbours.
- Thomas William Brown GM, one of the youngest people to receive the George Medal. In October 1942, as a NAAFI canteen assistant, he was involved in the action between Petard and U-559, being one of three men to board the sinking submarine in an effort to retrieve vital documents, and was the only one of the three to survive. These documents would later lead the Bletchley Park codebreakers to crack the German Enigma code. After this heroic deed, it was revealed that he was underage to be at sea. He returned home to North Shields. In 1945 he died from injuries sustained while rescuing his sister Maureen from a house fire at their home in North Shields whilst on leave from HMS Belfast. His family were presented with his medal by King George VI in 1945, and later presented it to the NAAFI in 1985.
The inspection report states: “Many interesting graves form part of a Heritage Walk. Buildings have been sensitively restored and contribute greatly to the beauty of the site, particularly the Burial Chapel.
“Management and maintenance of Preston Cemetery by the Operations Manager and her enthusiastic and dedicated team has resulted in a really beautiful site that combines sensitively managed bereavement services with leisure provision for the wider community.
“Preston Cemetery is a worthy Green Flag winner…well done to all involved.”
Keep Britain Tidy’s Accreditation Manager Paul Todd said: “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making North Tyneside’s parks and green spaces worthy of a Green Flag Award.
“They are vital for the community in North Tyneside. This award is testament to all the hard work of staff and volunteers, who do so much to ensure that it maintains the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award.”
