Crematorium establishes positive presence in the West Midlands
One of the UK’s most environmentally-friendly crematoriums is proud to have provided a positive presence in the West Midlands since it opened a year ago.
Waseley Hills Crematorium opened its doors on 7 February 2022 to serve the communities of South Birmingham, Bromsgrove and North Worcestershire.
It is part of Westerleigh Group, the UK’s largest independent owner and operator of crematoria and cemeteries, with 37 sites across England, Scotland and Wales, all set within beautifully-landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide pleasant, peaceful places for people to visit and reflect.
Like all Westerleigh’s sites, the team at Waseley Hills has worked hard to ensure it provides exceptional care and a positive presence within the local community.
Site manager Joy Edgington said: “We are proud of how we have engaged with our bereaved families and local communities in our first year.
“We’re a welcoming place where people find comfort, not just on the day of their loved one’s final farewell but at other times, to remember a loved one or just have quiet moments of reflection in a fitting and peaceful environment.
“We have helped provide many uniquely personal funeral services from rainbow theming the chapel to accommodating open coffins when requested.
“We will always strive to assist families should they wish to have something a little different, in addition to accommodating those who still prefer traditional funerals.
“We’ve brought people together for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, at Christmas and for Remembrance Day and we enjoyed a successful community open day in August.”
Another way in which the crematorium engages with the local community is through making donations from its metal recycling scheme.
With the consent of families, metals recovered during cremation are recycled and any money raised is used to support charities and other worthy causes in the communities surrounding every crematorium and cemetery which are part of Westerleigh Group.
Waseley Hills Crematorium has made donations to a range of different charities and organisations, from foodbanks to a football team and animal rehoming charities to organisations which support people living with complex disabilities.
Joy added: “There are a number of other ways in which we are engaging with local people.
“We are currently running free art workshops for the bereaved, and we have also invited the community to help shape the design of a planned Covid-19 memorial at our site, as a lasting tribute to honour those who were lost – and those who worked so hard to help others – during the pandemic.
“We have been working hard to show that we are not here just to provide comfort to families and friends on the day they say their final farewells to loved ones. Our support goes a lot further than that.
“We’ve only been open for a year but have been welcomed into the community in that time, and we are only just getting started.”
Waseley Hills Crematorium incorporates some of the most advanced technology in order to minimise its impact on the environment, making it one of the greenest and cleanest facilities of its kind in the country.
