Bath & North East Somerset Council has nominated the Child Funeral Charity to receive £5,000 that has been raised from the recycling of metals reclaimed from Bath’s Haycombe crematorium.
The charity helps families pay for a funeral of a baby or child under 16, and provides support with associated costs should the fees not be waived by funeral directors.
The bereavement charity is the latest to benefit from money raised by the recycling of common items like medical pins, metal plates and artificial joints, which are retrieved from the cremated remains of a loved one and recycled through a national scheme.
The not-for-profit Recycling of Metals Scheme is run by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, of which Bath & North East Somerset Council is a member.
Members of the scheme collect the metal from the cremators and the money raised from recycling is divided between ICCM members for distribution among charities.
Some of the metal items retrieved following cremations | Photo courtesy of Harry Lloyd Evans
Councillor Bob Goodman, Cabinet Member for Development and Neighbourhoods, said: “We always respectfully retrieve the cremated remains of a love one, but metal items used as part of surgery are often recovered from the cremator.
“The most responsible way to dispose of them is to recycle them. I hope people who are bereaved take comfort from the fact that the money raised goes to support charities such as the Child Funeral Charity.”
Last year, £15,000 in total was donated by Haycombe Cemetery and Crematorium, in equal amounts to the RUH Forever Friends Appeal, Cruse and The Make a Wish Foundation.
To qualify for donations from the scheme, charities are selected on the basis they have to assist the bereaved or those who are terminally ill.
Any local charities, which meet the criteria can get in touch with staff at Haycombe Cemetery and Crematorium on 01225 396020 or via email to: [email protected]
