Post date: Aug 24, 2017 2:52:35 PM
Angela Abbott from MK Council's Bereavement Service was in attendance at the November 2016 meeting to present to the Council of Faiths. Angela has been with MK Council for 37 years.
There are two chapels at the Crematorium – Willow Chapel and Oak Chapel. There are 10 cemeteries, most of which are full and spaces are running out. Selbourne Ave cemetery has space. This site started as a wet field. Surface water on blue clay so no contamination. £90K spent to put drainage in part of the cemetery. Looking to drain another area – the Muslim area. There are between 2,000 and 3,000 burial spaces left in MK.
Burials falling in UK, but remaining steady in MK due to increase in population.
The new Crematorium cost £6.2M. Chapels can be used for other things, eg Willow Chapel being used for Coroners Inquests.
For a fee can provide web casting for those who can’t attend the funeral. A soldier from Basra’s service could be watch by colleagues in Afghanistan.
100 services of “Family Funerals” for poor people. Costs just over £1000 – avoids funeral directors. This is not a Public Health (Paupers) Funeral – which is funded by the council. Burials are more expensive than cremations.
Do same day funerals including weekends and Bank Holidays.
The service looks after full cemeteries and closed church yards. Children’s memorials – increasing trend. Memorial garden at Crownhill – trying to have high standards. Get encroachment into other people’s space. Thinking of Wendy House of teddy bears.