GreenAcres Living Memorial Parks is thrilled to announce that two of its parks – GreenAcres Epping Park and GreenAcres Colney Park – were finalists at the AGFD Good Funeral Awards 2025, recognitions that reflect our ongoing commitment to community, connection, and support for those navigating loss.
- GreenAcres Epping Park was shortlisted for Best Natural Burial Ground of the Year and Cemetery of the Year. We are proud to share that Epping Park won Cemetery of the Year 2025 – a well-deserved acknowledgment of its dedication to creating spaces of solace, beauty and remembrance. Tracey Adigun, Park Manager at GreenAcres Epping said: “A huge thank you to those who nominated us – it means so much to me and my team. Winning Cemetery of the Year is a testament to their dedication and the care they show every day. GreenAcres Epping Park is a place of tranquillity where nature offers comfort and remembrance, but our true strength lies in the relationships we’ve built with families, Funeral Directors, hospitals, charities and local businesses. We’re grateful to the AGFD for hosting the Good Funeral Awards and for celebrating the commitment and compassion across our sector.”
- GreenAcres Colney Park was a finalist for Best Funeral Support, in honour of its monthly Bereavement Café, which offers a welcoming community space for those bereaved to share, reflect, and find comfort. Although Colney did not win this year, the nomination itself is a strong recognition of the compassionate support the team provides. Marsha Nelson, Park Manager at GreenAcres Colney said: “I couldn’t be prouder of our incredible team for being named a finalist in the Good Funeral Awards for our Bereavement Support Café. This recognition reflects the compassion, dedication, and care that shines through in everything we do to support those navigating loss. Being acknowledged in this way is a true honour and a testament to the heart of our work.”
Spotlight on Epping Park: Community, Nature & New Growth
GreenAcres Epping Park, a 52-acre venue set in woodland and parkland in Essex, has always taken an active role in serving its community and in shaping its landscape so that it does more than simply provide resting places – it offers natural beauty, reflection, and a place where memories can be both honoured and revisited.
Over the past two years, Epping Park has made significant enhancements to its grounds to deepen that experience of connection:
- The creation of the new Serenity Garden for ash interments provides families with a beautifully designed, peaceful space for remembrance, reflection and ritual.
- Continued landscaping and planting work ensure that the Park grows in harmony with the seasons, becoming ever more rooted as a place people want to visit again and again.
The design ethos – woodland glades, gardens, tranquil pathways – ensures that memorialisation feels personal and natural. It supports people in choosing memorials that reflect their loved one’s character and the grief journey they are on.
These ongoing improvements show how Epping Park is investing in both the natural landscape and in people’s experience of remembrance. The award for Cemetery of the Year recognises not just beauty, but the lived value the Park provides: a place of solace, ritual, memory, and community.
“We are deeply honoured that Epping Park has been named Cemetery of the Year,” said Christopher Koller, Managing Director of GreenAcres Living Memorial Parks. “For us, this win is about more than prestige—it’s about the thousands of moments of comfort, of quiet reflection, of connection that people find here. The enhancements such as the Serenity Garden reflect our belief that nature, ritual, and community are fundamental to helping people live with loss. We’re also so proud of Colney Park’s nomination – its Bereavement Café is a real lifeline and embodies the spirit of what we do.”
About GreenAcres & The Good Funeral Awards
The Good Funeral Awards, run by the Association of Green Funeral Directors, recognise excellence in natural and eco-friendly funeral practices, bereavement support, and memorialisation. These awards celebrate organisations that go beyond the basics to help make the journey of grief more compassionate, personalised and connected. (Visit agfdgoodfuneralawards.co.uk.)
GreenAcres Living Memorial Parks remain committed to providing tranquil, nature-rich memorial spaces, and bereavement support initiatives that allow families to create rituals, share memories, and heal in community.
Event Overview
Cafés are held within the beautiful landscapes of our Parks where you can feel the uplifting and healing power of nature around you.
Our Bereavement Cafés are welcoming spaces where the topic of death is not a taboo, but an open and honest conversation. Here, you can say your loved one’s name, share your memories, and talk about your grief with others who truly understand.
For those not ready to share, Bereavement Cafés offer the opportunity to simply listen, to be in the presence of others navigating loss, and to find comfort in knowing you’re not alone.
These gatherings are not about fixing grief or rushing healing – they’re about creating a safe, compassionate community where every experience of loss is respected, and every story matters. Whether you come to talk, listen, or just be, you are warmly welcomed.
All are welcome. Free coffee and cake!
Event Overview
Cafés are held within the beautiful landscapes of our Parks where you can feel the uplifting and healing power of nature around you.
Our Bereavement Cafés are welcoming spaces where the topic of death is not a taboo, but an open and honest conversation. Here, you can say your loved one’s name, share your memories, and talk about your grief with others who truly understand.
For those not ready to share, Bereavement Cafés offer the opportunity to simply listen, to be in the presence of others navigating loss, and to find comfort in knowing you’re not alone.
These gatherings are not about fixing grief or rushing healing – they’re about creating a safe, compassionate community where every experience of loss is respected, and every story matters. Whether you come to talk, listen, or just be, you are warmly welcomed.
All are welcome. Free coffee and cake!
Event Overview
Cafés are held within the beautiful landscapes of our Parks where you can feel the uplifting and healing power of nature around you.
Our Bereavement Cafés are welcoming spaces where the topic of death is not a taboo, but an open and honest conversation. Here, you can say your loved one’s name, share your memories, and talk about your grief with others who truly understand.
For those not ready to share, Bereavement Cafés offer the opportunity to simply listen, to be in the presence of others navigating loss, and to find comfort in knowing you’re not alone.
These gatherings are not about fixing grief or rushing healing – they’re about creating a safe, compassionate community where every experience of loss is respected, and every story matters. Whether you come to talk, listen, or just be, you are warmly welcomed.
All are welcome. Free coffee and cake!
Event Overview
Cafés are held within the beautiful landscapes of our Parks where you can feel the uplifting and healing power of nature around you.
Our Bereavement Cafés are welcoming spaces where the topic of death is not a taboo, but an open and honest conversation. Here, you can say your loved one’s name, share your memories, and talk about your grief with others who truly understand.
For those not ready to share, Bereavement Cafés offer the opportunity to simply listen, to be in the presence of others navigating loss, and to find comfort in knowing you’re not alone.
These gatherings are not about fixing grief or rushing healing – they’re about creating a safe, compassionate community where every experience of loss is respected, and every story matters. Whether you come to talk, listen, or just be, you are warmly welcomed.
All are welcome. Free coffee and cake!
Event Overview
Cafés are held within the beautiful landscapes of our Parks where you can feel the uplifting and healing power of nature around you.
Our Bereavement Cafés are welcoming spaces where the topic of death is not a taboo, but an open and honest conversation. Here, you can say your loved one’s name, share your memories, and talk about your grief with others who truly understand.
For those not ready to share, Bereavement Cafés offer the opportunity to simply listen, to be in the presence of others navigating loss, and to find comfort in knowing you’re not alone.
These gatherings are not about fixing grief or rushing healing – they’re about creating a safe, compassionate community where every experience of loss is respected, and every story matters. Whether you come to talk, listen, or just be, you are warmly welcomed.
All are welcome. Free coffee and cake!