Westerleigh Group announces four new corporate charity partners

Westerleigh Group has named Child Bereavement UK, Cruse Bereavement Support, Winston's Wish and the World Land Trust as its new corporate charity partners.

Over the last two years, Dementia UK has been Westerleigh Group's only corporate charity partner and received donations totalling just over £300k.

Westerleigh Group has pledged to donate a minimum total of £400,000 over the next 2 years.

Child Bereavement UK, Cruse Bereavement Support, Winston’s Wish and the World Land Trust will each receive a minimum of £50,000 a year for the next 2 years. The corporate charity partnership began this month (April 2025).

Westerleigh Group is one of the UK’s largest independent owners and operators of crematoria and cemeteries, with 41 sites in England, Scotland and Wales, all set within beautifully landscaped gardens of remembrance, which provide peaceful places for people to visit and reflect.

Over the last 2 years, Dementia UK has been the only corporate charity partner of Westerleigh Group and received donations totalling just over £300,000 during that period which provided 2 years of funding for an Admiral Nurse and helped towards running costs of Dementia UK Helpline.

Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. The charity supports children and young people (up to the age of 25) when someone important to them has died or is not expected to live, and parents and the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying.

Child Bereavement UK offers free, confidential, bereavement support by telephone, video or instant messenger, and also provides face-to-face support at a number of locations.

For over 60 years, Cruse Bereavement Support has been helping people who are struggling with grief and today has thousands of trained volunteers providing emotional support to adults and children during one of the most painful times in life.

Cruse helps people with bereavement support, information and campaigning as it strives to realise its vision of a world where everyone grieving is supported, respected and understood.

Winston’s Wish, the UK’s first childhood bereavement charity, which supports children, young people (up to age 25), and families after the death of someone important. Offering immediate, on-demand support and accessible digital resources, the charity provides compassionate guidance tailored to each young person’s needs - shaped by the voices, experiences, and resilience of those who need it most. Winston’s Wish also equips parents, teachers, and professionals with the tools to support grieving children across the UK.

The World Land Trust is an international conservation charity that protects the world’s most biologically significant and threatened habitats.

Together with a network of partner organisations worldwide, WLT funds the creation of reserves and provides permanent protection for habitats and wildlife.

Debbie Smith, CEO of Westerleigh Group, said: “Westerleigh Group was founded in 1991 and has always been committed to being at the heart of the communities it serves, operating in a caring, considerate and sustainable way that is underpinned by strong social values.

“There are so many charities and organisations that undertake such vital work which resonates with our own values – whether that is supporting the bereaved or helping to protect our precious planet – that we decided to choose four corporate charity partners rather than just one over the next two years.

“The current cost-of-living crisis means charities and other such organisations are among the first to see their funds decrease as families and donors face increasing budgetary challenges of their own.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to be able to support organisations like our partners and provide funds which will be put to extremely good use for the benefit of so many people.”

Westerleigh Group donates significant amounts of money to a wide range of charities all over the country every year.

The funds are usually raised via the Westerleigh Group’s metal recycling scheme in conjunction with other fund-raising events by individuals and teams within Westerleigh Group.

Metal recycling is a scheme where, with the consent of families, any metals recovered during the cremation process are recycled and any funds raised are donated to charities and other community organisations.