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Graveyards and Gravestones / Re: Ashes Not Collected
« on: Wednesday 31 August 11 22:13 BST (UK) »
My parents both died very recently so I have had a bit of experience dealing with funerals and ashes etc. I was rather surprised to be told by the funeral company that they had some ashes in their storage area which had been there for 40 years. It seems that they are willing to keep them until the wife/husband has also passed away and so enabling a joint ashes ceremony, scattering and/or burial whenever that will be. They will also keep a set of ashes until the family can come to some sort of agreement over what to do with them. If one wishes to go and scatter the ashes all you have to do is fetch the "ash boxes" (now in environmentally friendly cardboard and greaseproof paper as most councils are now refusing burials of urns or other slow decomposing materials). I did ask how big the storage area was and I was told not that big but the boxes are fairly small and didn't take up a lot of room!
Previously I had thought that ashes were kept for only a few weeks at the crematorium but apparently the funeral company fetch the ashes when they are ready and contact is made with the family concerned to see if a decision has been reached as to what is to be done with them. Now whether this is unique to this particular firm or not, I have no idea.
Just make doubly sure that someone in the immediate family knows where they are!
Another thing that might be of interest is that the plot of land in the cemetery were my mum and dad's ashes were laid to rest, was half a normal burial plot which is slightly larger than the average ashes plot but it means that 2 more ash boxes can be added later - not all councils allow this because it depends on the plot size. So me and the hubby are now catered for lol! Although there is no more family left to see that our wishes are adhered to! So can I count on a few witnesses here?
Previously I had thought that ashes were kept for only a few weeks at the crematorium but apparently the funeral company fetch the ashes when they are ready and contact is made with the family concerned to see if a decision has been reached as to what is to be done with them. Now whether this is unique to this particular firm or not, I have no idea.
Just make doubly sure that someone in the immediate family knows where they are!
Another thing that might be of interest is that the plot of land in the cemetery were my mum and dad's ashes were laid to rest, was half a normal burial plot which is slightly larger than the average ashes plot but it means that 2 more ash boxes can be added later - not all councils allow this because it depends on the plot size. So me and the hubby are now catered for lol! Although there is no more family left to see that our wishes are adhered to! So can I count on a few witnesses here?
