This year's Good Funeral Awards, dubbed the Death Oscars, are to be held in Kent for the first time

The competition, organised by the Association of Green Funeral Directors, has been running since 2011.

The first ceremony only had five entries, but this year it is expected to attract more than 250 funeral professionals.

It will be staged at the four-star Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve near Hythe surrounded by 600 acres of wildlife park including lions, gorillas, rhinos, and giraffes.

Awards spokesman Debbie Hill said: "We may not like to think about death but at some point in our lives we will encounter and employ the services of funeral professionals.

"They help families through some of their darkest hours and that is an incredibly important job which demands care, respect and the utmost professionalism.

"A career in the death industry isn’t for everyone but it can be incredibly rewarding."

The Association of Green Funeral Directors helps the public find operators who provide green funeral options.

When the awards were launched, Charles Cowling, then editor of the Good Funeral Guide, said they were for "unsung heroes of astonishing brilliance whom the public deserves to know about."

The awards will be held on Saturday, October 19, from 6pm. An exhibition will be held from noon.

• The 13 categories include:

Best crematorium

Best burial ground

Coffin supplier

Funeral director

Green funeral director

Most promising newcomer

• To make a nomination visit www.agfdgoodfuneralawards.co.uk

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