See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy TARA RUSSELL Published: 20:16 BST, 11 September 2026 | Updated: 20:55 BST, 11 September 2026
You've heard of Sports Personality of the Year - and Shed, Horse and even Rear of the Year. Now get ready for something altogether more niche: Cemetery of the Year. In a bid to keep up with more mainstream professions, Britain's graveyard managers have created their own annual awards scheme to celebrate the achievements of the crème de la crème of places of eternal rest. And entries this year show the nation's cemeteries are becoming increasingly eccentric. While most would picture cemeteries as consisting of rows of traditional headstones, masons are increasingly being asked to create bespoke designs reflecting the hobbies and personalities of the people being remembered. Newcastle-based mason Joseph Richmond & Son Memorials, for instance, has crafted stone tributes including a double decker bus, a motorbike, elephants and even life-sized Pioneer branded DJ decks. Joe Richmond, from the family firm, told the Mail: 'There was this one family who commissioned a double-decker bus for their deceased who enjoyed travelling on the 308 bus running from Blyth to Newcastle day-in-day-out, passing through the main landmarks in the region. A twin DJ decks design was made for Jamie 'Roy' Grierson, who made his name in clubs in Glasgow before performing at venues around the world One family requested a double decker bus to remember their deceased, who loved travelling on the 308 bus running from Blyth to Newcastle 'We designed the full memorial to the shape of the bus and engraved all of the details.' Richmonds were also commissioned to create a memorial after the mother of DJ and producer Jamie Roy, who passed away at the age of 33 in 2022, requested a unique tribute to mark his grave. Jamie, from Dumfries, made his name in clubs in Glasgow, before performing at venues around the world, particularly in Ibiza, where he played at prominent stages including Pacha, Amnesia and Ibiza Rocks. Richmonds went on to create one of their most distinctive ever bespoke headstone tributes in the form of stone DJ twin decks.The company has been awarded silver and bronze memorial design awards by the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM) for their quirky headstones.The most prestigious award at the Cemetery of the Year awards is the overall title in the best Large Burial Ground category - the graveyard equivalent of heavyweight boxers.This year's finalists included some industry big hitters: Canterbury City Council, Fallings Heath Cemetery in Sandwell and Thornhill Cemetery in Cardiff, which has won three gold and three silver awards over the past eight years alone.Canterbury City Council was named the Best New Entry in the Large Burial Ground category while also reaching the final. This quirky gravestone includes a guitar design Pictured: a model of Sydney Harbour Bridge on one headstone A football lover is remembered in style with a gravestone of a Newcastle FC shirt An animal lover is remembered with a beautiful elephant design tombstoneAwards spokesperson Janet Walker said that cemeteries are underappreciated public spaces, which deserve wider attention. She told the Daily Mail: 'They can often be such a green oasis in an urban sprawl.'The Cemetery of the Year Award is about celebrating high standards in cemetery maintenance, because the public don't always appreciate the work that goes into the lovely spaces.' Janet, whose official job title is Burial Authority Liaison Officer, went on: 'The competition is about recognising the work that goes into maintaining cemeteries while ensuring they remain relevant to the bereaved.'The Cemetery of the Year Awards, co-hosted by BRAMM, judge burial grounds on 50 different criteria in three size-based categories: Large Burial Ground, Small/Medium Burial Ground and Parish Town and Community Council.The winners will be announced on September 29 at the annual conference of the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management.The competition covers everything - from weather management and water supplies to opening hours, anti-social behaviour measures and the types of memorials the bereaved are permitted to install.
