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Bereavement Services
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Contents Bereavement Services
1
Cemeteries
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Contact details
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Burial
8-9
Crematoria
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Headstones
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Cremation
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Book of Remembrance
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Role of Funeral Director & Genealogy
Memorials
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Registering a death
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Cremated Remains Plots
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Useful Contacts
13
Advertisements
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Bereavement services The council owns and operates two crematoria and eight cemeteries within the city. People of all faiths and beliefs can be buried or cremated here, irrespective of whether they had lived in or had connections with the city.
A caring service We aim to provide a professional, caring and sensitive service to the bereaved. We offer a flexible approach in order to accommodate as many of the wishes of the bereaved as possible, whilst still upholding cultural, ethical and legal requirements.
This brochure has been produced to inform you of the services we provide. It will help you make informed choices and access all the information you will need to help you through bereavement. Please be aware that Bristol City Council cannot endorse the services or products of any of our advertisers.
Contact: There are two offices, Canford and South Bristol, that hold records and registers for the crematoria and cemeteries in their remit. For all enquiries relating to South Bristol Cemetery and Crematorium please contact: South Bristol Cemetery Office Bridgwater Road Bedminster Down Bristol BS13 7AS Tel : Web: Email:
0117 903 8330 www.bristol.gov.uk cems.crems@bristol.gov.uk
For all enquiries relating to Canford Cemetery and Crematorium, Avonview, Greenbank, Shirehampton, Henbury, Brislington and Ridgeway Park cemeteries please contact: Canford Cemetery Office Canford Lane Westbury-on-Trym Bristol BS9 3PQ Tel : Web: Email:
0117 903 8280 www.bristol.gov.uk cems.crems@bristol.gov.uk
Bristol City Council also owns Arnos Vale cemetery, however, the Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust is responsible for its management and development. You can find further details on page 20 or on the Arnos Vale website www.arnosvale.org.uk or contact the Trust on 0117 971 9117.
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Crematoria South Bristol Crematorium
Facilities
South Bristol Crematorium was opened in October 1971. Set in a landscaped area, the crematorium is modern in character, with facing brickwork used extensively both outside and inside the buildings.
• Pew seating for 84 people at South Bristol and 100 people at Canford
The pew seating, pulpit and most of the joinery work are in Agba, a light coloured hardwood of straight-grained appearance. The floor of the chapel is carpeted, with the exception of the seating area. The cross, on the wall above the central altar table, can be covered if you prefer. The catafalque, upon which the coffin rests during the cremation service, is to the right-hand side of the chapel.
• Induction loop system
• A speaker system both inside and outside of the chapels
• Disabled access facilities • Large print hymn books available • Wheelchair available • Toilets
Canford Crematorium Canford Crematorium was opened in December 1956. The design of the building was chosen to blend in with the residential nature of the neighbourhood. An avenue of silver birch trees leads from the cemetery entrance to the crematorium chapel and beyond. The chapel was carefully designed to have the ‘feel’ of a church, whilst also being acceptable to people with widely differing faiths. The interior walls are stone, the pew seating, pulpits and most other joinery made from oak. The floor of the chapel is carpeted with the exception of the raised altar section and seating area. The cross, on the wall above the altar, can be covered if you prefer. There are two pulpits, one on the left and one on the right of the centrally positioned catafalque.
South Bristol Crematorium
Canford Crematorium
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Cremation The type of funeral service and the way in which it is to be conducted are entirely a matter of personal choice. Your Funeral Director will advise and guide you on the format of the service, and will inform the crematorium of any specific requirements in advance. A 30 minute period is allowed for each funeral service, although this may be extended, at extra cost, if required. The whole of the funeral service may take place at the crematorium, or a service can be held at a church or other venue followed by a committal service only at the crematorium. On arrival at the chapel the coffin will be transferred from the funeral vehicle to the catafalque, on which it rests during the service. Mourners often choose to follow the coffin into the chapel and take their seats for the start of the service, however, this is a matter of personal choice.
At the point of ‘committal’ the catafalque is usually lowered, however, if it is your wish, the catafalque can be left in the raised position, so that the coffin remains visible until mourners have departed the chapel area. At the end of the service mourners leave the chapel by the exit door, and usually make their way to the floral display area to view the tributes that have been placed.
Music Music can be a very important part of a funeral service. Our organist can play a wide variety of music and any CD's or tapes that you provide. It is usual for music to be played during entry and exit from the chapel, with hymns being sung during the actual service. However, you may wish instead to choose entirely popular music, classical music, hymns or any combination.
Cremated remains Either during or after the funeral service, the coffin is lowered into the crematory area where the cremation process takes place. The cremated remains, sometimes referred to as ‘ashes’, are then available for your chosen method of disposal. Various options exist for their final resting place, such as scattering in designated areas throughout the cemetery grounds, which we refer to as ‘Gardens of Remembrance’, burial in a private grave / cremation plot, or ‘taking away’ for private disposal. Bereavement Services staff or your Funeral Director will be able to advise you of your options, and it is recommended that you give careful consideration to your choice.
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Book of Remembrance The Book of Remembrance provides a lasting memorial to a loved one and is displayed in a dedicated Book Room adjoining the Crematorium chapel. A page is allocated to each day of the year, and the pages are turned daily to display the current date. Whilst most choose to place an entry to mark the anniversary of death, you may wish to select another date that is meaningful to you. Inscriptions are executed by professional calligraphers and artists. Entries may be of 2, 5 or 8 lines with the option to illuminate your entry with an emblem, badge or coat-ofarms, in watercolour. Memorial cards and miniature books are available to order for those wishing to retain a copy at home of their entry, or perhaps to provide to relatives and friends.
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Memorials The following memorials are available at the sites specified, some of which are for a fixed 10 year sponsorship period. Unless specified, no cremated remains will be buried beneath or next to the memorial.
Memorial seats Available at South Bristol Cemetery, and at our discretion within our other cemeteries, for a 10 year period of sponsorship. These substantial, quality hardwood seats are fixed on a site previously agreed with the cemetery supervisor and are provided with a memorial plaque. The cemetery reserves the right to re-locate the seat at any time.
Bulb remembrance Spring flowering bulbs can be purchased to enhance the grounds of South Bristol Cemetery. We decide where they are planted and location details are available from the office, the following Spring.
Memorial vase and tablets Only available at Canford and South Bristol cemeteries. Black granite tablets are inscribed and painted and sit on existing sandstone vase blocks within the dedicated monthly scatter gardens at South Bristol Cemetery and within the Memorial Garden and Sections E and F at Canford Cemetery. Leased for a period of 10 years, the memorial provides a personal place for you to visit and leave floral tributes.
Memorial wall plaques Only available at Canford Cemetery. The black granite memorial plaque is mounted on a designated wall within the Memorial Garden and is leased for a period of 10 years. Flower vases are available at the base of the wall.
Memorial trees Available at South Bristol and at our discretion at other cemeteries.
Tree sponsorship is particularly suitable for those who want to provide a ‘living memorial’ within the cemetery grounds. At South Bristol Cemetery you may register your interest to sponsor a tree at any time. During August you will be contacted to confirm your request, and select from a choice of six indigenous species. Tree planting takes place in the autumn each year, in an area selected for woodland development. The cost includes the provision of a stemmed memorial plaque which will sit at the base of your sponsored tree; the lease for this ‘living memorial’ is for a period of 10 years. To ensure we maintain a natural woodland setting, other than the memorial plaque, no other items are permitted to be placed in this area. At other cemeteries where there is limited scope for the planting of new trees, you can sponsor an existing mature tree to be dedicated in the same way.
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Cremated Remains Plots
Cremated Remains Plots are available in South Bristol, Canford and Shirehampton cemeteries, set within borders of ornamental shrub beds. Each small grave, in which you may place up to two biodegradable caskets of cremated remains, is provided with a Right of Burial for 30 years; the purchase price also includes the provision of a granite headstone with up to two integrated flower containers, the first 120 letters of inscription and the first burial of cremated remains. Up-to-date plans are available from our offices to help you to select a
plot of your choice. If required, at additional cost, a porcelain photo plaque can be fixed to the headstone. On occasions, plots are purchased by those who have had cremated remains scattered elsewhere, and wish this to serve only as a memorial. An alternative type of cremated remains grave is available at both South Bristol and Greenbank cemeteries. Please contact us for further details.
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Cemeteries
South Bristol Cemetery
We operate eight cemeteries within the city of Bristol. We are conscious they provide tranquil places to visit, not only for the bereaved, and endeavour to maintain them all to a high standard.
burial of members of the Ba'hai, Chinese, Jewish, Muslim (separate adult and baby) and Polish communities. New graves are available and also the option to pre-purchase for future use.
South Bristol is the largest and most recently opened cemetery; it is laid out to ‘lawn design’. From the slopes of this cemetery visitors may enjoy views of open countryside and the Ashton Court Estate, and look across Ashton Vale to the spectacular Clifton Suspension Bridge and Avon Gorge – a view often described as one of the best in the city.
Each of the other, much older cemeteries, has its own unique character, and in most of these we are currently able to provide new graves.
The Cemetery has a dedicated Baby Section, Woodland Burial Section and areas designated for the
South Bristol Cemetery Bridgwater Road, Bedminster Down, Bristol, BS13 7AS (opened 1974)
Canford Cemetery Canford Lane, Westbury-onTrym, Bristol, BS9 3PQ (opened 1903)
Avonview Cemetery
Greenbank Cemetery Greenbank Road, Easton Bristol, BS5 6HL (opened 1871)
Henbury Cemetery Kingsweston Road, Henbury Bristol, BS10 7QT (opened 1923)
Brislington Cemetery Church Hill, Brislington Bristol, BS4 4LT (opened 1905)
Shirehampton Cemetery St Mary's Road, Shirehampton Bristol, BS11 9RN (opened 1898)
Ridgeway Park Cemetery Oakdene Avenue, Eastville Bristol, BS5 6QQ (opened 1888)
Beaufort Road, St George Bristol, BS5 8EN (opened 1883)
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Burial
New graves are available in most of our cemeteries for the burial of coffins and/or cremated remains. A typical new grave is dug to a depth of 6' to accommodate the burial of two coffins. Regulations vary considerably with regard to the type(s) of memorial that may be placed upon a grave, dependant upon the site and location of the grave; we advise that you fully consider the masonry specifications that you will be required to accept, in advance of grave purchase. When purchasing the Exclusive Right of Burial in a new grave, please be aware that you are purchasing the right to arrange a burial and the right to place a memorial, and not purchasing the land itself. The Right is provided for a period of either 30 or 50 years. At the end of the period, the lease may be renewed; otherwise the Rights revert to the city council.
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The registered grave owner will receive a Deed to the grave; this is a legal document and should be kept in a safe place. For advice on the transfer of grave ownership, cemetery regulations etc, please contact one of our administration offices.
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Burial services
South Bristol and Canford Crematoria Chapels, and Canford Burial Chapel are all non-denominational chapels available for services of all religions, sects and beliefs. You may hold a service in any one of these Chapels, prior to a burial in any of our cemeteries. Alternatively you may wish to hold your burial service at a local church or other venue, before bringing the coffin ‘direct to grave’ for burial. Canford Burial Chapel is over 100 years old; it has undergone major refurbishment in recent years yet retains much of its original character. The chapel has a seating capacity of 50 and may be of particular appeal to those arranging services for smaller or more intimate gatherings.
Our cemetery operatives will prepare the grave space prior to the burial and oversee the arrangement, to ensure that the graveside service and interment takes place safely and smoothly. Immediately following the burial, when the mourners have left, the grave will be back-filled with coarse soil. Any floral tributes placed on the grave at the time of the burial will be removed once our staff feel that they have completely faded/died (usually about two weeks later). Over the following months our staff will continue to top-up the surface soil level of the plot as subsidence occurs, therefore we recommend you do not place turf at this time.
Approximately 6-9 months following the burial, when soil settlement appears complete, staff will rake over the grave surface and apply grass seed. We strongly advise that no headstone is erected upon the grave until this process is complete.
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Headstones Only the owner of a grave is entitled to apply for the placement of a memorial. Where burials have taken place in 'common' or 'unpurchased' graves, no memorial may be fixed. Following a coffin burial we advise that no memorial is erected upon a grave for a period of six to nine months - this allows time for the ground to settle and any subsidence to be addressed. During this time you may wish to consult with more than one monumental mason and obtain quotes. Once appointed, your mason will submit a Memorial Permit Application that must include a detailed drawing of the proposed memorial, informing of all dimensions and the type of material(s) to be used; also a copy of the inscription. The Application must be signed by the grave owner and forwarded, for consideration, with the required fee. A Permit must be obtained prior to any memorial being placed. Until such time that your memorial can be fixed, you may place a small wooden cross upon the grave, to serve as a temporary marker.
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The role of the Funeral Director Most people choose to employ a Funeral Director to make the funeral arrangements on their behalf. They do so partly for reasons of convenience, at what is generally a very stressful time, but also to make sure that the remains of the deceased are disposed of with dignity and propriety. The Funeral Director will: • Remove the deceased's body from home or mortuary. • Meet by appointment the executor or person arranging the funeral and discuss funeral arrangements. • Liaise with us to arrange the cremation or burial service and advise us of all relevant instructions. • Arrange the attendance of a minister or other officiant.
• Make the necessary payments (disbursements) on your behalf, to include cemetery or crematorium fees, doctors fees, ministers fees, etc. • Make sure all necessary official documents are completed and delivered to us within the required timescale.
Genealogy Original burial and cremation registers are held at our offices and were maintained manually until 1991, when a computerised system was introduced.
• Transport the coffin and any floral tributes to the crematorium or cemetery.
If you are interested in locating a family grave for family history purposes, we are able to carry out a search of our burial records and provide all details held relating to a particular grave.
• Make sure the funeral is carried out under the guidance of a Funeral Director.
Requests for grave searches must be made in writing to the appropriate office and a fee, per grave, will be payable.
The Funeral Director is there to provide a professional and sympathetic service and will make sure your funeral arrangements are carried out in accordance with your wishes.
Those wishing to personally inspect the older registers, held at Canford, are required to make an appointment. Cremation registers are not available to the public under any circumstances, however, our staff are able to provide you with information that is not subject to the Data Protection Act.
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Registering a Death By law, a death must be registered within five days from when it occurred. This period can be extended in exceptional circumstances and if the coroner is involved in an investigation of the death. The registration must take place in the city, county or borough in which the death occurred, although it is possible to register the death in another area by arrangement. Special arrangements are also available for families who, for religious reasons, need to bury the deceased within 24 hours of death. In order to register a death, the registrar will require the following details of the deceased: • Full name (if a married female, her maiden name and her husband's full name will also be required, plus any other names they are, or have been known by) • The date and place of their death • The certificate of cause of death, signed by a doctor, unless the coroner will be issuing the paperwork • The date and place of their birth • Their home address • Their last occupation (if the deceased is married, widowed or has formed a civil partnership, the full name and occupation of their spouse or civil partner) • If married, the date of birth of the surviving widow/widower • Details of any public sector pension, for example, civil service, teacher or armed forces
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You will need to make an appointment office contact details:
The Register Office Bristol t: 0117 922 2800
The Register Office Bath t: 01225 477234
The Register Office North Somerset t: 01934 627552
The Register Office South Gloucestershire t: 01454 863140
What happens if the death is referred to a coroner? If a death is reported to the coroner which does not need to be the subject of an inquest (when death is a result of natural disease or illness), a certificate giving the cause of death will be sent to the registrar of deaths on completion of the coroner's enquiries. You can then go ahead and register the death. It is advisable to check that the registrar has received this coroner's notification, when making an appointment to register. In certain circumstances a death may be reported to the coroner and an inquest may need to be held. For further details contact the coroner's officer, tel: 01275 461 920
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Useful Contacts National Association of Funeral Directors t: 0845 230 1343 e: info@nafd.org.uk w: www.nafd.org.uk Advice on choosing a Funeral Director and making funeral arrangements.
National Society of Allied & Independent Funeral Directors t: 0845 230 6777 e: info@saif.org.uk w: www.saif.org.uk Advice on choosing an Independent Funeral Director and making funeral arrangements.
National Association of Memorial Masons
The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) Helpline: 0808 802 6868
Helpline: 0808 808 0000 (Mon-Fri 9am to 8pm) w: www.macmillan.org.uk
For parents of babies who have died suddenly, unexpectedly.
Cancer support to patients and their loved ones.
The Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Society (SANDS) t: 020 7436 5881 w: www.helpline@uksands.org Offers support to parents bereaved through stillbirth and neonatal death.
The Miscarriage Association t: 01924 200799 w: www.miscarriageassociation. org.uk
t: 01788 542264 e: enquiries@namm.org.uk w: www.namm.org.uk
Offers support and information on all aspects of pregnancy loss up to 24 weeks gestation.
Advice on selecting a suitable memorial and locating your nearest memorial masons.
The Samaritans
Cruse Bereavement Care Helpline: 0844 477 9400 w: www.cruse.org.uk Provides a nationwide service of bereavement counselling, advice, information and social contact. See page 14 for details.
Macmillan Cancer Support
t: 0845 790 9090 w: www.samaritans.org.uk 24 Hour support regardless of the nature of your problem.
Road Peace t: 0845 450 0355 w: www.roadpeace.org
Compassionate Friends Helpline: 0845 123 2304 w: www.tcf.org.uk National organisation for parents and their families following the death of a child. See page 14 for details.
Winston's Wish Helpline: 0845 203 0405 w: www.winstonswish.org.uk Cheltenham based association helping children and young people rebuild their lives after a family death.
LGBT Bereavement Helpline Helpline: 0207 837 3337 e: etalk@londonfriend.org.uk t: www.londonfriend.org.uk Provides support and information to lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender callers who have been bereaved or are preparing for bereavement.
Provides support to those bereaved or injured in a road crash.
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Opening Hours Offices at South Bristol and Canford Cemeteries are open: Monday to Friday 9.00am – 4.30pm excluding Bank Holidays Cemeteries & Book of Remembrance Rooms (that adjoin the Crematoria chapels) are open every day of the year including all Bank Holidays
Summer 1st April – 31st October Monday to Friday 9.00am – 7.00pm Weekends & Bank Holidays 11.00am – 4.30pm
Winter 1st November – 31st March Monday to Friday 9.00am – 4.30pm Weekends & Bank Holidays 11.00am – 4.30pm
If you would like this information in a different format, for example braille, audiotape, large print or computer disc or community languages, please contact 0117 903 8330
Designed by Bristol City Council, Bristol Design, BD0694