Cremation
If you are the next of kin or the Executor of the Will of the deceased you can organise a cremation.
This means:
- only you can decide what happens to the ashes
- you or your delegated representative, will be the only person we will take instructions from
Before the day..
You will tell us when you apply for the cremation:
- the name(s) you would like displayed for your loved one
- your choice of music and audio visual items
- any preferences you have regarding the committal (eg. closing the nets and /or full drapes)
- the name of the minister/celebrant (who is booked by you or your funeral director)
- what you want us to do with the cremated remains
And tell us if you would like:
- to come into the crematory following the service and view the coffin entering the cremator
- the cremation to take place the same working day
- a donation box and if so, the name of the charity
- to collect the flowers after the cremation
- any metals, such as orthopaedic implants, to be returned to you
- an additional cremation certificate for customs purposes
- to book a small wake in our Tea Room
On the day:
- cremation services take place in either our South or East Chapel
- our attendant, will be waiting to greet you and your funeral director
- our professional and caring staff in chapel and crematory will all be aware of your individual requirements
- your music and audio visual requests will have been prepared for you
- your loved one will be cremated individually
- on leaving the chapel you will be directed to an area dedicated to displaying the floral tributes for your loved one
Following the cremation…
We will carry out any instructions you have given us regarding the remains. You can ask us to:
- continue to care for them for 28 days (If you have not contacted us within that time we will write to you asking for your decision)
- release them to you or your authorised representative
- bury them in an existing family grave
- bury them in the crematorium memorial gardens in your presence or absence
If you wish to take the remains away we will give you a Cremation Certificate which you will require if you plan to lay remains to rest in any other public place.
For a variety of reasons families may wish to organise a cremation but may not want a service. To meet those needs we offer an "Unattended Cremation".
Downloads
Application for a Cremation Form 1
The Cremation Process
We follow a very clear set of procedures so that you can be sure the cremated remains that you are given or you have laid to rest, are uniquely those of your loved one.
Before the cremation
On arrival at chapel:
- our attendant checks the nameplate to ensure the name reflects exactly the name on the death certificate
- the coffin is placed by bearers on the catafalque at the front of the chapel
When the service is over and family and friends have all left the chapel, our staff:
- open the doors behind the catafalque
- place the coffin on a transfer trolley in the crematory
- check the coffin nameplate against the identity card they have for the deceased
- place the card on the coffin and move the coffin into the charge area where the cremators are
The card will always stay with the coffin and follow it throughout the entire cremation process. If at any time during the process staff have to leave the coffin, on returning to it, they will always check the identification card against the coffin nameplate.
During the cremation
A cremator technician :
- places the coffin in the cremator and puts the card in a dedicated holder near the cremator door
At the end of the process, approximately 1.5 hours, the technician:
- rakes the remains that are in the main chamber into a cooling chamber
- leaves the main chamber completely empty
- moves them, once cool enough, into a transfer container, placing the identity card in the card holder on the transfer container.
After the cremation
A technician removes any metal residues from the remains. If you have asked us to, we return them to you, if not, we recycle them using a specialist scheme run by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM).
The technicians places the remains in the transfer container into a cremulator to reduce them to small granules before transferring them into a container for release to the family or funeral director or to be retained safely in our care.
Attending a cremation can leave you with questions and a need to be reassured. If you would like to see what happens for yourself, you can book a place on a tour here.
Laying remains to rest
The final resting place for ashes is a very personal choice and one which we strongly urge you to consider carefully. If you change your mind about the instructions you have given us, you need to contact us immediately and write to us with your new instructions.
Before making a final choice, you may wish to consider whether you would:
- find it comforting to have a particular place to visit
- like a small amount of ashes within a keepsake, an option that can help you feel continually connected to your loved one
- like remains reunited with previous deceased
Cremation of babies and infants
No matter how early in pregnancy you lose a baby we understand that for many, it feels vital to attend a service or committal in one of our chapels. Afterwards the opportunity to receive the cremated remains or to know exactly where they have been laid to rest is of immense value to bereaved parents.