Tapper Funeral Service brings home gold

Tapper Funeral Service’s Harbour View Woodland Burial Ground and Crematorium has received the gold award and the overall winner’s prize for the cemeteries and crematoria category, at the South & South East in Bloom Awards 2018.

The annual competition received fewer than 300 entries from community gardening groups, villages, towns and cities from across the south, hoping to receive a special recognition for their commitment to horticulture and environmental conservation.

Judges praised Harbour View and deemed it ‘a most impressive site’ and went on to say, “Out of all the cemeteries and crematoria visited by the judges over the years, Harbour View is an outstanding example of design, layout, maintenance, and customer service. There are no areas of improvements to be made, therefore Harbour View should continue to deliver the current service on offer, at these very high standards.”

Steven Tapper, joint managing director at Tapper Funeral Service, said, “We are so proud to have won the overall crematoria category and to achieve gold for Harbour View. The team is committed to working tremendously hard to maintain the high standard of the facilities available for people during their time of need and this accolade affirms this.

“It was important for us to design a crematorium which has a spiritual identity and meaning by linking the building to the natural surroundings and wildlife which lives at Harbour View. It is fantastic to see that the judges picked up on this and it is reflected in their outstanding comments after their site visit.”

Harbour View Crematorium is the first crematorium to open in Dorset for more than 30 years, and has seen a £4million investment in the county. It is only the fourth crematorium to open (with Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth being the other three). The crematorium is located within Dorset’s ancient woodland in Lytchett Minster, creating a peaceful environment with panoramic views of Poole Harbour and the Purbeck hills.

The 70-acre site presents a unique offering by bringing all the facilities required to conduct a funeral under one roof. The Purbeck Tea Room is the crematorium’s private on-site refreshment space, which can be used after a funeral has taken place. Families have the opportunity to plan the funeral they want and will be given the time needed to say goodbye to their loved ones. Harbour View is also more flexible in terms of service options, including enabling funerals to be held at the weekend.