A new hall and offices have been opened at the JJBS Woodland Cemetery, Cheshunt – the only dedicated Woodland Cemetery for Jewish burials in Britain.

A group including Steve Wynne, the newly elected Chair of JJBS, Honorary President Frank Godson and building architect David Green fixed a mezuzah on the doors to mark the opening.

The new hall provides a beautiful space for families to meet their families and friends for light refreshments before and after funerals and stone settings. It has been designed to the highest environmental standards with a ground source heat pump providing heating and water and photovoltaic panels providing solar electricity. The building is constructed of wood with a sedum covered roof to act as insulation. The JJBS offices have now relocated to the Woodland Cemetery from Wanstead.

Steve said: “The Woodland Cemetery provides an attractive environmentally friendly location for Jewish funerals totally in keeping with Jewish principles of concern for protecting our surroundings. This new hall will give a valuable additional resource for families at a time of bereavement. I would like to thank David Leibling, the outgoing Chair, for his efforts in bringing this project to fruition.”

The JJBS Woodland Cemetery allows members to choose to be buried in an environmentally-friendly way, in a beautiful natural environment, surrounded by newly planted trees. The burial can include a coffin made from plain wood, bamboo or wicker, all which decompose naturally. The graves are marked with natural meadow plants or can be left to naturalise under the trees with the option of a small flat memorial stone.

The Lawn section provides a green alternative for Jewish and non-Jewish burials, with graves being marked by a simple upright stone. Members can pay tribute to a loved one by planting a memorial tree. There is also a columbarium for the interment of cremated ashes.