New information will soon be provided to people across Bath and North East Somerset about funeral rites and customs according to a range of religious traditions.
The council’s Bereavement Services department are to launch a new section on their website that gives details of who to contact, and what customs to follow in the event of a death of a family member or friend.
The project idea was put forward by Peasedown councillor Nathan Hartley last year, who is a member of the B&NES Faith Forum.
He said: “Last year, a resident contacted me after the sad death of her father, to ask for more available information about funeral arrangements in various religious traditions.
“Her father had converted to Islam later on in life, and not being Muslim herself, she was unsure who to contact or what to do, following his death. Fortunately, and thankfully, the leaders of Bath Mosque were able to help and assist.”
“This caused me to think though that there will be other people in this position, and so we need a central source of information about funeral rites and customs for B&NES residents.”
Working with the Faith Forum, groups and individuals, a database is starting to be created by the council that gives local people details about funeral customs in the following faiths:
- Christianity (various denominations)
- Islam
- Hinduism
- Bahai Faith
- Judaism
- Hare Krishna
- Druidry
- Christian Science
To be launched this summer, the council website will also give details of a designated person for each faith so those who need help know who to contact.
Cllr Hartley and Bereavement Services are still keen to receive details from other faith leaders that can be added to the database, particularly those from the Sikh ad Buddhist traditions.
When the information is available it will be sent to all town and parish councils, funeral directors, and burial trust boards.
For more information contact Cllr Nathan Hartley on 07737 192 156 or email him via [email protected].
