The Pendeen community has announced the date for the dedication ceremony of what is believed to be the first community cemetery in the UK.

Cemeteries are usually operated by churches, local authorities, or as private businesses, but Pendeen Community Cemetery will operate as a not-for-profit facility and will be run by volunteers from the community under the umbrella of the Lands End Peninsula Community Land Trust (LEPCLT).

It will be open to all (or no) faiths, beliefs, and lifestyles without discrimination. Those wishing to be buried there will simply need to demonstrate a connection to the area.

The dedication ceremony will take place on Sunday, February 9, at 3pm and all those who wish to celebrate this unique community achievement are invited to attend. The event will take place in the new cemetery car park and Pendeen Silver Band will be there to play some traditional Cornish music throughout.

The project has taken over seven years to come to fruition, as a great deal of hard work was necessary to gain planning permission, Environment Agency and South West Water approval, and raise enough funds to complete the required groundworks in this World Heritage Site area.

Delia Webb, trustee of the LEPCLT and chair of the Pendeen Community Cemetery Committee, said: “Our new Community Cemetery is such an amazing achievement for Cornwall and for all those locally who feel a deep connection to this land.

“The dedication ceremony will be our way of marking this and formally dedicating the land and the facility to the Pendeen community who worked so hard to make it happen.”

The Pendeen Cemetery Project received a grant award of £150,640 from the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to enable the final groundworks to be completed.