SECTION A - GENERAL INFORMATION
1. The following regulations have been designed and formulated for the control and use of West Berkshire Crematorium.
2. All correspondence should be addressed to:
West Berkshire Crematorium
Bath Road
Thatcham
Berkshire RG19 4LD
Tel: 01635 872 577
Fax: 01635 866052
WestBerkshire@westerleighgroup.co.uk
3. Crematorium opening times:
| Office |
Monday - Friday
9.00am - 5.00pm |
| Gardens |
April To October
9.00am - 6.00pm
Nov To March
9.00am - 5.00pm
Weekends & Bank Holidays
9.00am - 5.00pm |
4. Children Those below 15 years of age, will not be permitted to enter the crematorium unless accompanied by a responsible adult.
5. Dogs Shall not be permitted in the grounds unless on a lead
6. Vehicles. Cars are allowed at the crematorium but drivers shall not exceed the speed limit of 5 mph. Cars must only be driven on the main carriageways. On no account may cars be driven on footpaths, grass areas or planted areas. All vehicles must be parked neatly to allow access to other vehicles.
7. The Crematorium company shall not be held responsible for the safe keeping of any wreaths, flowers, plants or any other objects placed in the grounds nor any damage caused to memorials, monuments and mausoleums by high winds or storms, or other factors outside their control. An incident book is kept at the office for recording thefts of any type and the police will be informed of more serious crimes and if a high incidence of thefts occurs.
8. All persons shall conduct themselves in a decent, quiet and orderly manner. The General Manager is empowered to take such action as he/she may consider appropriate against any person who may:
- Commit any nuisance at the crematorium.
- Wilfully create any disturbance.
- Wilfully interfere with any burial taking place
- Wilfully interfere with any grave or memorial or any plants, flowers or other such objects.
- Play at any game or sport in the grounds.
9. Visitors to the crematorium shall not unreasonably interrupt any employee at their duties or employ them to execute private works within the Crematorium or extend to them any gratuity. All enquiries, complaints and requests by members of the public must be made to the crematorium office and not to workmen in the grounds.
10. No person not being an officer or servant of the Crematorium or another person so authorised by or on behalf of the Crematorium Company shall enter or remain in the grounds at an hour when it is closed to the public.
11. The taking of commercial photographs and filming is not permitted at the crematorium except with the prior approval and permission of the manager in writing and upon payment of the appropriate fee. Photographs of individual graves by approval with the grave owner are allowed.
12. No person shall operate any sound equipment or play any musical instrument at the crematorium without the prior consent of the manager. This should not discourage people from singing at the graveside or playing a favourite song quietly with the acknowledgement of the manager.
13. The Crematorium Company reserves the right to close the crematorium grounds on any day should it be considered that circumstances so warrant.
14. The sale of goods, services, plants or other articles, the soliciting of orders or repair of memorials or for work connected with graves is strictly prohibited within the grounds of the crematorium. All such services and requests should be met by the crematorium office.
15. No employee of the Crematorium Company are allowed to undertake privately, any work or favour of any kind nor receive any gratuity for the said work of favour.
16. The placing of stone paving slabs, timber, etc around and leading to a grave space is strictly prohibited and shall be removed without prior notice on the grounds of health and safety and to satisfy the insurance underwriter of the company.
17. Any plants, vases or any other item placed outside the grave space shall be removed without prior notice.
18. The planting and maintenance of the grave is the responsibility of the grave owner and the company does not undertake any work other than moulding, turfing or seeding unless a separate agreement has been made with the crematourium company and the appropriate fee paid.
19. All persons entering into the crematorium grounds shall conform to all respects with the crematorium regulations and shall be subject to the orders of the manager and staff who have full power to exclude from the crematorium any member of the public whom may be deemed fit to exclude. Should it be necessary to use physical force to remove a subject the Police shall be summoned.
20. These rules and regulations shall be final.
21. The crematorium company reserves the right to make any alterations and additions to the rules and regulations of the crematorium at any time it feels fit.
22. Rubbish must be placed in the receptacles provided for this purpose. No household rubbish must be left in the crematorium or dumped.
23. The crematorium fees are displayed in the cemetery office and are revised from January 1st Services after this date will be charged the revised rate.
Exhumations
1. No human remains will be removed from any grave after committal without the proper authority from the Home Office and /or the Ecclesiastical Court.
2. In the first instance a request for exhumation should be made to the manager of the Crematorium before any application for licence or faculty is made.
3. The Exhumation will be carried out in strict accordance with Statutory provisions and any conditions imposed by the Secretary of State for the Home Office or the Ecclesiastical Court and any restrictions added by the Local Area Health Officer. Nothing in these regulations should be construed as authorising the disturbance of Human Remains without the appropriate authority. Human Remains within these regulations is deemed to include cremated remains.
Cremated Remains
1. The interment of cremated remains will only be permitted (and recorded in the cremation registers) when carried out in the presence of the manager or their authorised staff and only after the necessary documentation has been completed. The scattering of cremated remains is only allowed in the nominated lawned area, or memorial lawn by prior agreement, within the grounds and the above procedure needs to be adhered to also.
2. The certificate for Disposal of Cremated Remains issued by the Crematorium where the cremation took place must be delivered to the office before the interment can take place. Failure to deliver such Certificate will result in postponement of the interment until such time as the certificate can be produced
3. Regulation B, 3 of these regulations includes cremated remains.
SECTION B - REGULATIONS CONCERNING CREMATIONS
1. A cremation can only legally take place when the Crematorium has the Registrars Certificate for Disposal or a Coroners Order for Cremation, Forms A, B and C and the Medical Referee has signed Form F to allow the cremation to take place. Without these forms in no circumstances will a cremation be carried out. (Cremation Regulations 1930 Regulations 6,7,8)
2. The above forms must be received by the Crematorium Office atleast 48 hours prior to the service taking place. Failure to provide these forms will cause the cremation to be postponed until such time that these can be produced.
3. The forms will be submitted on those provided by the crematorium and the appropriate fee paid before the cremation takes place, unless an account arrangement has been made with the General manager.
4. The maximum dimensions of a coffin to be loaded into the cremator is 33” wide (including handles) by 24” deep and 86” long.
5. The number of mourners permitted to enter the crematory for a witnessed cremation is six persons. This can only take place with the prior consent of the Superintendent and at his or her discretion.
6. The Funeral Director, or persons effecting the burial must provide sufficient staff to convey the coffin into the chapel, unless prior warning has been given to the office and the appropriate fee paid.
7. Every body brought to the crematorium must be contained in a suitable coffin or shroud. No coffin or shroud should be accepted unless it bears adequate particulars of the identity of the deceased therein.
8. The Crematorium will not be held responsible for any error or consequences which may arise by reason of any inaccuracy in or late receipt of a notice of interment and will accept orders and instructions by telephone only at the risk of the sender.
9. The crematorium will store the resulting cremated remains for a period of 3 months before they are scattered in the woodland, unless instructions to the contrary are given at the time of applying for the cremation.
10. If no instructions are given regarding the use of floral tributes, they will remain in the floral tribute area at the side of the chapel for 3 days, including the day of the funeral. After this period the flowers will then be disposed of.
11. Any music requirements must be communicated to the crematorium office at least 2 working days before the service is to take place’. If pre-recorded music is to be played, each piece of music must be clearly marked and in the case of tapes, each piece of music on different tapes. The crematorium excepts no responsibility for poor quality recordings or damage to worn out tapes or mistakes due to the inadequate labelling of pieces of music.
12. The cremation of body parts is permitted on the completion of the appropriate forms and the payment of the appropriate fee.
13. The cremation of a non-viable foetus is permitted with the production of the Medical Practioner’s or Midwife’s certificate of delivery.
SECTION C - REGULATIONS RELATING TO MEMORIALS
1. All memorials must be supplied and fixed by the crematorium company. No external stone masons will be permitted to carry out work in the memorial grounds.
2. No memorial may be fixed at the crematorium without the approval of the Manager. Unauthorised memorials will be removed from the crematorium at the grave owners expense. All suitable styles and materials will be provided for your choice.
3. Memorials will only be erected over graves in which the Exclusive Right of Burial has been purchased.
4. Inscriptions can contain relaxed expressions such as “Mum” and “Dad”, nicknames etc. The only regulation to this policy is that no inscription should contain words or sentiments which may be offensive to another visitor in the opinion of the General Manager.
5. Should the registered owner of the Exclusive Right of Burial be deceased, a transfer of ownership must be arranged before any approval for works to any memorial can be given.
6. All memorials erected are maintained at the expense of the owner of the Exclusive Right of Burial of that particular grave. Where memorials split, crack or become dangerous, the grave owner shall be required to have that memorial repaired, refixed or relevelled so that it shall be safe at all times.
7. The Crematorium reserves the right without notice to:
a) Remove or make safe any memorial which in their opinion is a danger or could become a danger to any person in the crematorium grounds.
b) To remove temporarily any memorial or part of the memorial if such a course of action appears to the General Manager to be desirable.
c) To recover all reasonable costs in making any memorial safe from the grantee or their representative
Date of Operation:
These regulations shall come into force on 1 February 2005.
