BURIAL AND CREMATION GUIDE FOR CAMBRIDGE · Cambridge City Crematorium Bereavement Guide - Page 3 Introduction The office of the Cemetery and Crematorium Service for Cambridge City

BURIAL AND CREMATION GUIDEFOR CAMBRIDGE

Cambridge City Crematorium Bereavement Guide - Page 3

IntroductionThe office of the Cemetery and Crematorium Service for Cambridge City Council is located at Cambridge Crematorium, 5 miles from the centre of Cambridge, on the A14 westbound.

From here the council’s two cemeteries and the crematorium are administered and any public enquires answered. A team of administrative and operational staff ensure that someone is available Monday to Friday to assist bereaved people, Funeral Directors and Officiants.

We hope this guide will be of use to you at this difficult time. Forms of application for burial, cremation and commemorations are also available to download from our website: www.cambridge.gov.uk/crematorium.

Bereavement Services provides a caring, sensitive and high quality service for people at a difficult time in their lives. Losing a loved one presents many challenges and our staff can give helpful advice and guidance about all aspects of funeral arrangements and memorials.

‘Where modern meets tradition – your choices are our values’

Cambridge City Crematorium was awarded Bereaved Charter Gold status by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) in 2013

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Our PromiseIt is our promise to provide exemplary services to the bereaved within the Cambridge City Council area and to the wider community of East Anglia. We will endeavour to deliver a caring, considerate and understanding service to people of all religions and of none. We will not discriminate on grounds of creed, colour or orientation.

It is our duty to be as efficient, understanding and respectful as humanly possible in delivery of the bereavement service. We will endeavour to provide clean well-managed grounds and buildings that are safe to visit and where high standards of housekeeping are evident.

It is our ambition to provide choice in everything. We will offer flexible service times, opportunities for self-expression and facilities that allow the performance of individual requests. We will offer an extensive range of memorials allowing families to choose something that reflects their loved one in a meaningful way.

It is our intention to offer the best possible environmental care no matter whether burial or cremation is chosen. The Council has elected to meet the full abatement of mercury pollution in excess of legal requirements.

We will also offer natural burials reflecting a true return to nature.

The Council is also committed to the recycling of orthopaedic implants and metals recovered from the cremation process, which are collected by a non-profit making company unless otherwise requested by bereaved people. All surplus monies derived from this process is given to selected death related charities.

Cemeteries - Cambridge City Council will operate its cemeteries for the benefit of the public in order to maintain choice and local services. In order to do this we will follow best practice as laid down by the ICCM.

• Train all our staff to ICCM qualification level, committed to recognising individual potential to support their personal development.

• Seek to conserve the cemetery landscape

• Encourage visitation to cemeteries

• Continue to offer choice and variety

• Work with Funeral Directors, clergy and officiants

• Work with stakeholders and Friends Organisations

Crematorium - Cambridge City Council has committed to meeting the highest standards of compliance both with the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management Guiding Principles. To do this we will:

• Operate the Crematorium in the best interests of the environment

• Recycle all metals in accordance with ICCM policy

• Conduct the service in a way which lessens the impact on family and friends.

Other Services - Cambridge City Council Bereavement Services provides a range of related services to the bereaved these include:

• Bereavement led, caring and compassionate staff

• Meeting diverse cultural needs, religious and non-religious beliefs

• Witness interments and strewing of cremated remains

• Meeting diverse cultural needs, religious and non-religious groups and other minority groups

• Educational visits

• Refreshment facilities

Above: Children’s Area - Crematorium


CemeteriesHuntingdon Road - (Adjacent to the Crematorium) - Huntingdon Road cemetery is an open site and offers unlimited access.

Huntingdon Road Cemetery was dedicated in 2003 to be the extension to the City Cemetery at Newmarket Road, which has very few new graves available. The first interment took place in 2005 and families have the choice of lawn, traditional or green burials. There are also Children’s, Catholic, Jewish and Muslim sections.

Newmarket Road - Offers unlimited pedestrian access everyday including Sundays and Bank Holidays. Vehicle access is restricted to: 1st November to 31st March from 0900 to 1600 hours and 1st April to 31st October from 0900 to 1800 hours.

The cemetery was opened in 1902 and was known as Cambridge Borough Cemetery, with the first burial taking place on 6 June 1903. The first Superintendent of the Cemetery is buried there. The cemetery is primarily for Cambridge City residents, but also contains War Graves from World Wars I and II as well as notable people such as Choudhary Rahmat Ali (one of the founders of Pakistan) and Barbara Yung (Chinese actress).

Green/Natural BurialsNatural burial areas have been designated at both Huntingdon and Newmarket Road Cemeteries. A green and or natural burial ensures the burial site remains as natural as possible in all respects. Interment of the bodies is done in a bio-degradable casket or a shroud.

Burials at both cemeteries may be arranged to take place Monday to Friday (except public holidays) between 0900 hours and 1500 hours (winter) and 1530 hours (summer).

It is important to realise that the bereaved have responsibilities for ensuring that they comply with the rules and regulations, which have been formulated for the benefit of all who visit the cemeteries.

HeadstonesIf you are considering a headstone we advise you to wait for a period of at least nine months after the burial before an approved Memorial Mason installs the headstone. However, you can place your order with your chosen Memorial Mason prior to the nine months. Please contact us if you have a memorial within our cemeteries and believe we may not have your current address because of the following:

All memorials are inspected over a 5-year rolling programme. Details of individual headstones will be recorded and the headstone tested in accordance with best practice to ensure that they are stable. The inspections will identify and record all unsafe memorials. Where a headstone poses an imminent danger the City Council will undertake all necessary temporary safety work. The principle responsibility for maintaining a headstone in a safe condition is that of the owner, who will wherever possible be contacted.

Above: Huntingdon Road

Above: Newmarket Road


CrematoriumCambridge Crematorium occupies a peaceful site, with its beautiful gardens, natural woodland, and tranquil water areas, all containing an abundance of wildlife. The Crematorium was opened in 1938 as a private concern before being taken over in 1950 by Cambridge City Council. There are two Chapels at the Crematorium, the East which, was opened in 1938 and the West in 1991.

There are two cloisters, one devoted to the East Chapel and one for the West Chapel, where floral tributes are displayed following the funeral service. The funeral flowers remain on display for one week following the day of the funeral, and are removed on the morning of the 7th day. The Cloisters also have memorial stone plaques, which may be inscribed and/or personalised.

The grounds have been fully landscaped and provide a secluded and peaceful environment where cremated remains can be strewn. Ornamental shrubs, roses and trees contribute to make a relaxing area where people can sit on seats dedicated to the memory of loved ones. The woodland is a most tranquil and beautiful area with a variety of trees, shrubs and in the spring-time abundant with aconites, daffodils, snowdrops and bluebells.

Families and friends can, if they wish, participate in the garden’s developments through the dedication of roses, tablets, trees and from time to time the garden seats. Two large granite books of remembrance are placed at the entrance of the woodland, where the bereaved will be able to place a small memorial plaque on the face of the book to commemorate their loved one, whose cremated remains have been strewn in the woodland. The more formal areas contain memorial vaults for the placing of cremated remains, which are situated under the pergolas and by the ornamental ponds.

ChapelsThe East ChapelFacing the Crematorium entrance and situated between two cloistered areas is the traditional East Chapel, which retains many of its original features and can seat approximately 55 people. This Chapel is equipped with a Johannes Organ as well as the Wesley Music System, which allows flexibility of choice for families when arranging the music content of a service. The Wesley System also allows for services to be audio or visually recorded and a web cast of the service can also be arranged if desired. The chapel has an induction loop system and is on a single level giving easy access for wheelchairs. Adjacent to the Chapel on one side of the walkway, is a small waiting room for mourners. In the same position on the other side is a small Chapel of Remembrance, which contains the Book of Remembrance and Columbarium, where cremated remains rest in inscribed caskets.

Above: The East Chapel

Above: Traditional Vaults

Above: Modern Vaults in the New Garden of Remembrance Above: Great Crested Newt


The West ChapelThe completion and dedication of the second, more modern, Chapel in November 1991 has extended the service provided by the Crematorium. It enhances the existing environment and provides seating for 193 people. Local artists were commissioned to paint landscape pictures of East Anglia, which hang in the waiting room and Vestry. The Chapel is also embellished with kneelers made by the Cambridge Townswomen’s Guild and by local branches of the Women’s Institute.

The West Chapel has a Norwich Electronic Organ and the Wesley Music System, which allows flexibility of choice for families when arranging the music content of a service. The Wesley System also allows for services to be audio or visually recorded and a web cast of the service can also be arranged if desired. There is also the choice to personalise a funeral service with a screen that can show still images during the service. The West Chapel is equipped with an induction loop system for the hard of hearing and caters for the needs of physically disabled visitors. Adjoining the chapel is a waiting room that overlooks the tranquil Gardens of Remembrance.

Newmarket Road CemeteryThe small original Chapel at Newmarket Road cemetery can seat approximately 50 people and is equipped with an organ to provide music for funeral services. The chapel retains many of its original features, including a stained glass window. In 2013 a new waiting room was opened to enhance the facilities for bereaved people. The refurbishment programme also includes the provision of a reception and meeting room.

Above: The West Chapel Above: Newmarket Road Cemetery

Funeral ArrangementsThe choice of a firm of Funeral Directors is important, as you should feel comfortable and confident with them. They could be:

• Known to you personally

• Recommended by a friend

• Recommendation from a GP or religious adviser

• Good reputation in your area.

There are a number of local Funeral Directors available at Yellow Pages or alternatively contact the following for advice:

• The National Association of Funeral Directors

• Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors

Your Funeral Director can make all the arrangements for the funeral, burial or cremation, religious or secular service. The Funeral Director can also give advice on all the procedures and documents needed to register the death.

It is often assumed, quite wrongly, that funerals can be completed only with the use of the services of a Funeral Director. Although a Funeral Director will be invited to organise the majority of funerals, some people prefer to organise

Above: Old Garden of Remembrance


Non-Church of England Funerals If you have to arrange a funeral for someone who is of a faith different to your own, it is important to contact the equivalent of the local priest of the denomination to find out what needs to be done.

Non-Christian and Minority Group FuneralsInformation on the practices of other faiths are included below:

Islam - Most Islamic communities appoint one person to be responsible for making funeral arrangements. It is that person’s responsibility to advise on the rules and to select a suitable funeral director.

Hinduism - Hindus are always cremated, and never buried. There are many possible variations of rites, which depend on their form of Hinduism. The Asian Funeral Service can give advice on and arrange Hindu funerals. For information contact; 020 8909 3737 or email: [email protected]

Judaism - Jewish funerals are usually arranged by a dedicated Jewish Funeral Agency, or the local community may have a contract with a Gentile funeral service. Any service arranged will be carried out under strict rabbinical control.

The Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service offers support and can be contacted on: 020 8349 0839.

funerals themselves that allows for greater personalisation. Some people do not wish to use a Funeral Director, for a wide variety of reasons.

They may feel that passing the body of a loved one over to strangers is wrong whereas some feel that personally organising a funeral is their final tribute to the deceased person.

Others may simply wish to save money by doing everything themselves or may have used a funeral director on a previous occasion and found the experience unsatisfactory.

The bereaved family can organise the entire funeral and we are able to assist in facilitating this. Such a funeral is referred to as ‘Personalised’ or ‘Independent’. Consequently, personalised funeral arrangers use their own vehicles or alternative suitable transport in lieu of a hearse.

Non-Religious ServicesThere is no requirement to have a religious ceremony, or any kind of ceremony at all at a funeral. People that regard religion to be unimportant or have made a decision to live their lives without it, may prefer a Humanist or Civil Ceremony. Bereaved people may wish to personalise the funeral by contributing and/or conducting the service. This type of ceremony is not intended to oppose a religious funeral, but to provide a dignified and respectful celebration of the life of the deceased.

British Humanist Association offers advice on all aspects of humanist ceremonies and produces the booklet Funerals. Without God - A Practical Guide to Non-religious funerals. Celebrants are trained professionals who can officiate at funerals, weddings, naming ceremonies or any other rite of passage. For more information on celebrancy visit The International Federation of Celebrants.

Civil Funeral is a funeral driven by the wishes, beliefs and values of the deceased and their family, not by the beliefs or ideology of the person conducting the funeral. It sits between a religious service and a humanist funeral. The Institute of Civil Funerals (IoCF) was established to promote the quality of Civil Funeral ceremonies in the UK, through the professional development of Celebrants and the ongoing monitoring and regulation of their work in delivering Civil Funeral ceremonies.

If you do not want a ceremony at all, members of the family or close friends can attend the committal, which can be in silence or with some music being played.

Above: New Garden of Remembrance


work, the design being replicated in the memorial wall, which also incorporates memorial plaques, for dedication. The dome is further enhanced with copper butterflies, the colours of which will intensify with age. Cremated remains can still be placed beneath slate tablets on the sunken garden plinths.

Book of RemembranceThis is the only permanent type of memorial. The books are displayed in cabinets in the Chapel of Remembrance at the Crematorium. The books have been fashioned by hand in traditional style with the permanence and artistic excellence of medieval illuminated missals. A page is devoted to each day of the year in order that inscriptions can be viewed on the appropriate anniversary. The pages to the Book of Remembrance are turned daily, including all Bank Holidays.

If you are not able to visit on the anniversary you can now view the entry on the electronic Book of Remembrance located in the Chapel of Remembrance or online at http://sites.bookofremembrance.eu/index2.php?site=cambridge.

There is also a Book of Remembrance dedicated for babies and children which is beautifully presented in its own cabinet.

CommemorationsBabies and Children’s AreaThe Babies and Children’s Area was officially opened in the summer of 2010. The area has a teddy bears picnic theme, and whilst it is an area for quiet reflection, there are also memorials that can be dedicated.

There are two Wendy houses. One is for visiting families and friends to leave memorabilia and the other is a small playhouse for accompanying children.

Cantebrigge GardenThe Cantebrigge Garden is at Newmarket Road Cemetery and was opened in 2011. The garden includes a bird bath, seating, memorial tablets and vaults for the secure placement of up to two sets of cremated remains. There is also a strewing lawn, for those who wish to have cremated remains laid to rest within the Cemetery, with a granite book with plaques available for dedication.

Sunken GardenIn 2011 the sunken garden was refurbished and expanded to include a landscaped strewing area, a rotunda as a central feature incorporating seating and memorial plaques and tablets for commemoration. The dome of the rotunda is of ornate powder-coated steel

Above: The Cantebrigge Garden Above: The Sunken Garden Above: The Book of Remembrance

Above: Babies and Children’s Area

Above: The Children’s Area


CardsCopies of entries in the Book of Remembrance are also available on individual Memorial Cards, which are suitable for keepsakes or for sending to friends and relatives.

Recordia PanelsLeather panels located in the Chapel of Remembrance can be commemorated to the memory of one or two people.

Plaques and TabletsMemorial plaques are situated in the Cloisters opposite the Garden of Remembrance. In the sunken garden area of this same garden, there are both tablets and plaques available for commemoration.

These are primarily intended to be dedicated to one person but it is possible to inscribe two names, however space available will remain the same and is sufficient to take approximately 75 letters.

Shrubs and TreesStone tablets may be inscribed and placed by a shrub in the borders of the gardens located either wide of the main lawn behind the West Chapel. Memorial trees are also available for commemoration within the woodland or the gardens.

Granite MushroomsGranite mushrooms are located beneath trees in the Garden of Remembrance and the circular discs can be inscribed for commemoration, for those loved ones resting around the tree.

Family GardensFamily gardens (pictured above) are located beside the pergolas in the Garden of Remembrance and can accommodate up to 4 sets of cremated remains. The fee for these gardens includes all interments, the first dedicated memorial and a small shrub.

Woodland BookThe Woodland Book is a lasting memorial to those whose cremated remains have been laid to rest in the woodland. An inscribed tablet on this book has been provided as an alternative to the existing choices of a memorial shrub or tree when commemorating loved ones.

Vaults MemorialVaults are located by the ornamental ponds within the gardens of remembrance and also available at the both cemeteries and the crematorium. Each vault can safely and securely accommodate two sets of cremated remains with a commemorative and personalised plaque. This choice works well if it is known that the vault is not to be the final resting place for loved ones.

Above: Plaques and Tablets in the Cloisters

Above: The Woodland Book Memorial

Above: Granite MushroomsAbove: Memorial Trees

Above: The Family Gardens


Wishing WellThis communal memorial is situated near the car parks for those with limited mobility. Adjacent to the wishing well, which has plaques for individual commemoration is a strewing lawn for cremated remains to be strewn as the final resting place for loved ones.

Donation SchemeThe Crematorium is always pleased to receive donations for the general embellishment of the chapels and gardens. These will be used to enhance the general appearance and environment by providing works of art and flowering bulbs etc. Donations are recorded in a Special Memorial Book on permanent display in the West Chapel.

Above: Wishing Well MemorialAbove: Wildlife Pond Above: A local inhabitant of our Wildlife Pond

RosesThe beautiful gardens of remembrance contain many pre-planned rose beds and each rose is available for commemoration. Roses are available in a choice of colours; red, pink, white, orange and yellow.

Wildflower Wood and PondTrees and a plaque are available for commemoration in this area for those who enjoyed nature and wildlife, where their cremated remains can be returned to nature and be the final resting place for loved ones.

SeatsTeak memorial seats are available for commemoration and can be situated in the Gardens of Remembrance or the woodland

Buxton BenchesMemorial granite benches are being placed within Huntingdon Road Cemetery in between sections of the memorial vaults. The benches are adorned with an inscribed tablet of commemoration, which may be personalised, if wished, with a small motif or a special photo plaque.

Communal BenchesWe also have benches in our Sunken Garden which visitors can use just for quiet reflection and/or if family/friends wish, there are plaques on these benches available for commemoration of loved ones. We plan to provide further communal benches at Huntingdon and Newmarket Road Cemeteries.

Above: Rose Gardens

Above: The Memorial Display Gardens


Useful ContactsEast Anglia’s Children’s HospicesChurch Lane, Milton Cambridge, CB4 6AB Tel: 01223 815124. Email: [email protected]

Cambridgeshire Children’s Bereavement Support ServicePre and post bereavement resource available to children and young people aged between 0-19, their carers and involved professionals.

CrossingsA support club for women that have lost their partners.

Lodge 3, Hartford Marina, Banks End, Wyton, Huntingdon PE28 2AA. Tel: 01480 417973. Email: [email protected]

Cruse Bereavement CareHelp offered includes a daily helpline, one-to-one counselling and a number of bereavement support groups.

PO Box 800, Richmond Surrey, TW9 1RG Helpline: 0844 477 9400. Email: [email protected] Tel: 020 8939 9530. Fax: 020 8940 1671

Histon Road Cemetery – Friends Group21 Bermuda Terrace, Cambridge CB4 3LD. Tel: 01223 360346. Email: [email protected]

Mill Road Cemetery – Friends Group11 Guest Road, Cambridge, CB1 2AL ww.millroadcemetery.org.uk

Deceased on Line(Website where family history can be traced)Website: deceasedonline.com - is the first central database of statutory burial and cremation registers for the UK and Republic of Ireland -- a unique resource for family history researchers and professional genealogists

National Support Compassionate Friends(support for bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings)Tel: 0845 123 2304

National Association of WidowsTel: 0845 838 2261

Sudden Death AssociationTel: 01189 889 797

SOBS(Help for survivors of bereavement by suicide)Tel: 0114 2725955

Winston’s Wish(help for bereaved children and young people)Tel: 0845 203 0405

S.P.R.I.N.G(Support for parents in neonatal grief). Tel: 01202 448084

SANDS(Stillbirth & neonatal death charity)

Supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby and promoting research to reduce loss of babies’ lives

Write to us at: 28 Portland Place, London W1B 1LY.Email us using the following addresses

[email protected] for support

[email protected] for general information

[email protected] for everything related to fundraising and events

[email protected] for everything related to local support groups

[email protected] for everything related to befriender training

[email protected] for items for consideration in the newsletter

[email protected] everything related to membership

[email protected] for items to be submitted for inclusion either on the website and/or the newsletter

Documents

BURIAL AND CREMATION GUIDE FOR CAMBRIDGE · Cambridge City Crematorium Bereavement Guide - Page 3 Introduction The office of the Cemetery and Crematorium Service for Cambridge City