New manager at Waseley Hills Crematorium
The new manager of Waseley Hills Cemetery & Crematorium says she loves being able to make a difference to the families she and her team serves.
Claire Montague said: “Coming to work every morning to such a beautiful location and working with a team of compassionate and supportive colleagues is a real privilege.”
When she started working in the funeral sector, she said her family thought it was a bit strange, but Claire said: “It felt like this was the industry I was always meant to be in.”
Waseley Hills Cemetery & Crematorium is part of Westerleigh Group, one of the UK’s largest independent owners and operators of crematoria and cemeteries, with 40 sites in England, Scotland, and Wales, all set within beautifully landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide pleasant, tranquil places for people to visit and reflect.
It opened in January 2022 and Claire has been there since the beginning, first as crematorium assistant and now manager.
Her working life began at the age of 16 at West Midland Safari Park where she stayed until she was 23.
She returned to work after giving birth to her son but realised she wanted to spend more time with him and needed an evening job instead, which is when she started working for the local council’s home care team, looking after people in their own homes in the evenings.
After about 12 years, and having also had a daughter, she started looking for a job with regular daytime hours when she saw an advertisement for a ‘cremation technician and chapel attendant position’.
“I then had this role for four-and-a-half years and thoroughly enjoyed it.
“I heard that a new crematorium was opening locally for Westerleigh Group and so I applied for the Crematorium Assistant role, which I got.
“In the first two years in the role, I learnt so much, and after our former site manager left for pastures new, there was an opportunity for me to apply for the position. I was so pleased when I was offered the job, especially at the time when we’re opening a new cemetery within our grounds too’.
“I am really excited to be at the helm of our beautiful crematorium and cemetery, and to ensure we offer an exceptional bespoke service to all of our families, whether it be through a funeral service or lasting memorial for their loved one.
“We receive such lovely feedback from the community about how pleased they are that this facility was built here. Everybody says that our chapel is warm and welcoming, which helps a very difficult time become a little more bearable.”
To find out more about Waseley Hills Cemetery & Crematorium, the services it provides and the exceptional levels of care offered by staff, visit: www.waseleyhillscrematorium.co.uk
