Complaints by grieving families win welcome change at Mansfield Crematorium

A controversy erupted at the Derby Road crematorium over a popular initiative at its Book Of Remembrance room, by the main chapel.

After a person has passed away, family members can pay a one-off charge of a minimum £80 to have an inscription placed by a skilled craftsman in the book.

The book is laid in a glass cabinet and the pages turned daily to ensure the inscription can be viewed by visitors to the room on the anniversary of the death.

However, since the Covid-19 lockdowns, the room has been open only Mondays-Fridays, so if an anniversary falls on a weekend or Bank Holiday, families face a possible wait of up to view the inscription.

Several mourners have fallen foul of the anomaly and have complained to Mansfield Council, which runs the crematorium with Ashfield and Newark & Sherwood councils.

And now the authorities have agreed to take action.

A Mansfield Council spokeswoman said: “We have listened to the feedback from families and are pleased to say the Book Of Remembrance room is in the process of being reopened at weekends.

“We hope to announce the details in due course. In the meantime, families can view entries to the book digitally at mansfield.bookofremembrance.uk”

Retired Mansfield man Mark Wilson, aged 58, was among the complainants after he wanted to see the book on Sunday, December 18, in honour of his father, well-known former coroner William ‘Tug’ Wilson, who died in 1987, aged 64.

He said: "It is a bit off-putting, especially if you have travelled quite a distance for just that one day in a year,” said Mark. “For some elderly people, it might be the last occasion they are able to see the inscription. It could be quite a sensitive issue.

“The other day, I came across a family from Derbyshire who had come to see their grandad’s inscription, but the doors were locked and there were no staff around.

“The grounds are open at weekends, so it would only take the person who opens the main gates to unlock the door of the remembrance room too.”

Pamela Fairhall is another person to have complained about the weekend shutdown after being unable to see an inscription with her father on a Saturday in 2021 and on a Sunday last year for the anniversary of her mother’s death.

In a letter to the Chad, Pamela wrote: “We were very upset to find the room locked. There were other families who were also upset and angry.

"My father is 87 and will have to wait another year to see the open book. That will be three years since we last saw the inscription to my mother. He may not even live that long himself.

"It costs money to have the inscription, so to not be able to see it is heartbreaking.”

She said the weekend closures denied “grieving families the precious moments they need in times of sadness”.