Restrictions are in place for funerals nationally and locally at churches, cemeteries and crematoria and on the the services we can offer. These restrictions are in place to keep the public and funeral staff safe and we ask that you co-operate with us in ensuring they are adhered to.
West Herts Crematorium
- 20 mourners are permitted in the North Chapel, 15 mourners are permitted in the South Chapel
- Face coverings must be worn by everyone who enters the chapel unless you are exempt from doing so.
- Curtains must close at the end of the service. The voile curtains can be used for this purpose.
- No singing is permitted during a funeral service.
- Flowers must not be placed on the coffin by mourners during the service and mourners must not approach the coffin during the service. A small table can be placed in front of the chapel for this purpose.
- Mourners are not permitted into the Chapel until they are invited to do so.
Services must take no more than 25 minutes unless an additional time has been booked. This is to allow enough time to sanitise the chapels before the next service can start.
The crematorium would also encourage any additional people outside the permitted number of mourners to stay at home and take advantage of our free webcasting service. it is not appropriate for large groups to people to gather outside the chapels, before, during or after the service, as this can interfere with other families using the crematorium.
Chilterns Crematorium
Similar restrictions are in place at the Chilterns Crematorium, although chapels there can accommodate 30 mourners each.
Churches
Each church will have their own restrictions and procedures in place. The minister who will be taking the funeral will advise you of these when talking to you about the funeral content.
Cemeteries
Being outdoor venues means that there are less restrictions, but a maximum of 30 mourners is still in place, there should still be no singing and normal social distancing rules must be observed.
Our Services
We are currently limiting the availability of certain services to keep our clients, staff and families safe.
Currently all funeral arrangements are being done over the phone. We'll contact you at an agreed time to take all of the details from you. This will allow us to complete all of the necessary documentation for the funeral to take place. We will then either offer you an appointment for 1 or 2 people to come to our office to sign the paperwork.
We will be able to provide one limousine for the funeral, carrying up to 5 people from the same family/household/support bubble. This will be able to pick up from one address only, and will return to that address.
Viewing and dressing of the deceased will only be available where we can verify that a COVID test has been carried out and proved negative no more than 4 days before death. This is to avoid unnecessary risk to our staff when preparing the deceased. Visits with closed coffins may be available where a negative test cannot be verified. Time in our chapel will be allocated to avoid outgoing funerals and other appointments. Other restrictions will be explained to you when booking your appointment.
Our staff will explain any changes to these restrictions or any additional ones when making the funeral arrangements. If you have any specific requests, please ask and we will do our best to accommodate them.
