Funeral colleagues pay their respects at civilian war memorial

Lincolnshire Co-op funeral colleagues paid their respects at a remembrance service at Grantham civilian war memorial, after having recently renovated the site.

Alongside the local Royal British Legion, six members of the funeral team witnessed the laying of wreaths at Grantham cemetery. The colleagues also laid a wreath on behalf of Lincolnshire Co-op. The memorial commemorates the civilian residents of Grantham who lost their lives during the Second World War.

The service also saw local dignitaries and ministers lay wreaths in succession. There was a blessing of the crosses to be laid by local children from St Anne's School, before the bugler played the last post to commence the minutes' silence.

After the observance the children walked through the cemetery and laid wreaths upon 90 gravestones to honour those who lost their lives.

The site of the civilian war memorial had previously been neglected and unmaintained. This team of Lincolnshire Co-op colleagues recently volunteered to renovate the site; clearing debris, cleaning the stonework, replacing gravel, and planting roses to support the thriving local wildlife. After five hours the area was restored and much improved. Maintenance will be ongoing and the team will regularly visit the memorial to ensure it remains clean and tidy.

Andrew Clark, Funeral Operations Manager said: "It's an honour to be able to attend this service and pay our respects alongside local residents.

"We hope that our work renovating Grantham's civilian memorial serves as a respectful tribute and will encourage other people to visit the site and enjoy the peaceful surroundings while paying homage."

Colleagues across the Society participated in further gestures of remembrance by creating poignant window displays for funeral homes as well as laying wreaths at 21 other sites.