SAIF Golden Charter

New Midlands crematorium is welcomed by the community

More than 150 people took advantage of a chance to take a first look at a brand-new crematorium in The Midlands at an open event two days before it officially opened.

Mercia Forest Crematorium, in Broad Lane, Essington, serves the communities of Walsall, Wolverhampton, Cannock and surrounding areas.

It has been developed by Westerleigh Group, one of the UK’s largest independent owners/operators of crematoria and cemeteries, with 37 other sites across England, Scotland and Wales, all set within beautifully-landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide pleasant, peaceful places for people to visit and reflect.

Mercia Forest Crematorium has ten acres of woodland grounds, featuring open spaces and wildlife areas.

The focal point of the new development is the light, airy and welcoming contemporary chapel building, which can seat up to 112 guests, with additional standing room.

It has been sympathetically designed, using local stonework, natural slate and other materials, to blend in with the surrounding landscape and has large windows which look out towards the mill stone water feature.

There is also a dedicated viewing room to accommodate requests for witnessed cremations.

The chapel features two high resolution tribute screens and has an extensive music library, all of which can be used to help create uniquely personal services. There is also the facility to stream services on the internet, so that those who are unable to travel can still pay their respects to the deceased.

Mercia Forest Crematorium has 75 standard parking spaces, four disabled parking spaces and two coach parking spaces.

The crematorium is one of the most environmentally-friendly in the UK, featuring the latest advanced filtration and abatement technology, including NOx abatement, which makes a significant contribution towards offsetting the site’s carbon footprint.

To help reduce its dependency on natural sources of energy, Westerleigh Group has installed solar photovoltaics and a crematory heat recovery system, which are further supported by smart energy features such as zonal heating and lower-energy lighting.

The first manager of the new crematorium is Joanne Taylor, who said: “We opened for services on Monday 10 July but held an open day Saturday 8 July, and we were delighted to welcome more than 150 visitors.

“They were a mixture of local funeral directors, other industry partners and a large number of visitors from within our surrounding communities.

“The feedback we had was extremely positive, and we are confident that this is a place where everyone will feel welcome.

“It’s our aim to have an extremely positive presence within the communities we serve. The whole team here at Mercia Forest Crematorium is looking forward to getting to know our neighbours, whether that’s our funeral directors or the local residents.”

Find out more about Mercia Forest Crematorium and the exceptional care and support it offers here.