New Media Awards 2008

Lasting Tribute

Nominated in Innovation category.

This website allows everyone to share memories and celebrate the lives of those they knew, respected or loved: family, friends, neighbours or those in the public eye. It brings together all the notices that have been published online by our sister newspaper websites around the country – from the Northcliffe group - in one place making it easier for people to find them and add their own images and memories. New tributes can also be started online and people can also do things in the real world through the site such as plant a tree or send flowers.

1 nomination from readers

  • A unique aspect of Lasting Tribute is the pre-moderation and high level of customer service it delivers. Every tribute and message is read before publication and every image is viewed to ensure that nothing inappropriate is made public on the site. Every piece of feedback, or query, received gets a prompt and sensitive answer. It was this approach that encouraged the Police Roll of Honour Trust to give Lasting Tribute its database of officers killed on duty so we could create a page for each one – something they wanted to do but did not have the time or resource. The result can be seen at http://www.lastingtribute.co.uk/police

    Lasting Tribute also allows people to donate to charity – a feature that will be extended this year following a successful trial with the British Heart Foundation. Partnerships have been agreed with Marie Curie Cancer Care, the National Memorial Arboretum and ancestry.co.uk

    Carefully sourced memorial gifts – including opportunities to plant a tree – are offered through the site as other ways of celebrating a life or paying tribute. Lasting Tribute set up a fund for people to donate in memory of Martin Beard – killed in Iraq while serving with the RAF - http://www.dedicatetrees.com/FundPage.aspx?id=100295 which is going to result in an acre of woodland being dedicated to his memory in summer 2008.

    Testimonials from users speak for themselves: “Thank you so much for all your help…the site is a really good idea...it helps keep my daughter’s memory alive for her little girl as well as others....which is really important...thank you so much.”

    “I think this site is a wonderful thing. I lost my brother in 2006 and am still grieving for him. It is a wonderful way of expressing my thoughts and helping in more than one way.”

    Nominated by Elaine Pritchard, 31 March 2008

1 comment from readers

  • very help full site, wonderful idea for people to share memories of friends or family, their colaboration with the woodlands trust is a great idea and a wonderful tribute to a lost loved one.

    Submitted by steve parkin, 24 June 2008

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