Ashes at Warriston Crematorium
Dispersal
If you wish for your loved one’s ashes to be dispersed within the grounds of the crematorium this will be carried out by a member of our staff. Please note that it will not be possible for you to be present at the dispersal nor for the exact location of the dispersal to be disclosed. You should consider this carefully before choosing this option. If you are certain that you wish the ashes to be dispersed, then the dispersal will usually take place in the week following the cremation.
Collection
If you have asked for the ashes to be collected from the Crematorium this is normally carried out by your funeral director. They are placed in either a plastic urn or a wooden casket. (Please note that there may be an additional charge for a wooden casket).
Retention
If you do not feel ready to make a decision, we will be happy to retain the ashes. We regret that due to restrictions of space we can only store the ashes for up to a month. However, under no circumstances will ashes be dispersed without written authority.
Baby Ashes
We consider the interests of the bereaved family and the baby or infant left in our care to be the central focus of our attention. This is reflected in all of our administrative and operational practices and procedures.
Maximising the recovery of baby ashes during cremation
Our staff use a special designed metal tray and are vigilant throughout the cremation process, adjusting operational conditions when necessary in order to protect the ashes of babies and infants and maximise their recovery. During the last twenty years, we have never failed to recover ashes. However in line with national guidance in the unlikely event of non-recovery of ashes, we will notify the Inspector of Crematoria within 48 hours and conduct a review of the cremation process to understand why this is the case. We will document the results of this review and will make them available to next of kin and to the Inspector of Crematoria. We will adhere to our identification procedure that guarantees that the ashes resulting from individual cremations returned to parents are those of their babies.
Shared cremations
We do not carry out shared cremations unless it involves related individuals e.g. twins.
Dispersal of Babies Ashes
In relation to the dispersal of ashes, we will only act upon the written instruction of the parent who is acting as the applicant for cremation or another person nominated in writing by the parent. We usually disperse ashes in the week following the cremation, or if they are placed on hold at the crematorium, for up to 6 weeks to await collection by the next of kin or their representative. Where no further instructions have been received within the 6 week period, we will write to you giving you a further 28 days’. If no reply is received to the written notice, then the ashes will be scattered in the grounds of the crematorium, within the area set aside for infants and babies.
Record-Keeping
We keep a register of all cremations of babies and infants at the crematorium, with all information contained in forms and certificates being retained indefinitely. When ashes are scattered within the grounds the final resting place is recorded. Where ashes are collected, we record the details of any person authorised by the applicant to collect the ashes. Our procedures are designed to provide an audit trail from the receipt of initial funeral instructions to the final disposal of ashes, either by collection or by scattering within a designated area.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us:
T: 0131 552 3020
E: [email protected]
