Dr Kershaws Hospice

• Oldham, OL2 6EU
• Car park facility available
• There are currently no new memorials available at this location. You can still add to an existing memorial.

The memorial forest at Dr. Kershaw's was officially opened in 1999 and was one of the first sites to be opened by the charity. Since that time, a once unused lawn area is now home to a maturing memorial forest that has gifted over £60,000 in cash donations and gift-in-kind work to help the hospice serve the local community in Oldham. Even though the forest is closed to new tree planting, Life for a Life's grounds team still look after the gardens at the hospice to ensure there is a quiet and peaceful outdoor area for visitors and patients to enjoy.

Life for a Life planting areas are natural environments where we encourage wildlife and plantlife to flourish, as such additional items should not be added to the tree or the space around it, especially as they can cause damage to the tree. Please be aware that any prohibited items left on or around memorial trees will be removed. 

Although this site is now full to the planting of new memorial trees if you have an existing memorial tree dedicated you can still upgrade memorial plaques, add additional ashes to a memorial tree, order memorial keepsakes etc.

What happens in the future?

Now that this memorial forest is closed to new tree planting you will see slight changes in the way we manage the site. The aim is to create a forest that will mature over time and become a local amenity for both visitors and wildlife. Therefore, the management regime will move to one which is more sympathetic to the environment. In practical terms, this will mean a gradual reduction in grass cutting as the tree canopy closes to help promote a richer diversity of wildflowers and other ground flora.

All the memorial trees are guaranteed for 25 years and any tree which has unfortunately not established itself successfully will be replaced from a selected mixture of 'understory' species consisting of either Hazel, Hawthorn or Holly that will help diversify the woodland creating an even better home for nature.

Furthermore, as the memorial trees grow they will be 'crown-lifted' which involves removing the lower limbs of the trees to help maintain access as the trees continue to mature and allow air and light to pass through. Eventually, the plaque in front of the trees will be removed as the site transitions from a formalised memorial woodland into the memorial forest we all want it to become. At this point a new sign will be erected that will let people know how the forest was established and what the trees represent.