Thanet crematorium

There is one service chapel at Thanet Crematorium which can seat approximately 80 people.  There is additional standing space.

At the beginning of each day, there are two shorter service times at 9.00 am and 9.30 am, with a maximum of 15 minutes allowed in the chapel. In addition to this a direct cremation service is offered first thing Monday and Tuesday morning.  From 10.00 am services are booked at forty five minute intervals, with a maximum time allowed in the chapel being 30 minutes. Should additional time be required in the chapel, it is possible to book a double service time. There are no restrictions on the content of the service and can be either religious or non-religious depending on the wishes of the family.

Music

The crematorium chapel is fitted with a bespoke music system supplied by Wesley Media and music for each service can be requested via your funeral director.

Webcasting of Services

Friends and family who are unable to attend the service now have the opportunity to view the service from anywhere in the world by a secure webcam service.  There is also the option to watch the service on demand for up to seven days following the service.  If a webcast service is required, this should be booked at least two days in advance to enable passwords to be set up.

DVD and Audio Recordings of a Service

A DVD or CD recording can be created of the service and supplied on either a disc or USB as a personal keepsake.

Visual Tributes

A single photograph or a combination of family photographs can be displayed at a particular time during a service set to favourite music or displayed silently throughout the service.

If an organist is required this should be arranged via your Funeral Director.

At the end of the service, it is possible to view the floral tributes outside the chapel. The flowers will remain in the cloisters area until the following Tuesday morning.

Additional options for visual tributes and webcasting (including VAT unless stated)

Download PDF Price List (670kb)

When funeral arrangements are made, it is usual for a final resting place to be discussed. At Thanet Crematorium, we have the following available.

Scattering

Cremated remains can be scattered in a specified area of the Crematorium, (see map for location).  Please note this is an unmarked area, where no memorials are permitted however fresh flowers may be laid here.

Interment in the crematorium lawns

The lawns at the front of the Crematorium provides an area where two sets of cremated remains can be interred in the same plot.  Individual plots are not marked on the ground but can be located via measurements which are recorded in our registers.  Again permanent memorials are not permitted in this location, however fresh flowers can be placed either on the lawns or by the adjacent memorial stone.

Garden of rest plot

Cremated remains can be buried in a Garden of Rest Plot and there would be provision for another three sets of cremated remains to be buried in the same plot at later dates.  In purchasing a Garden of Rest Plot, you would own the right to bury in the plot and erect a small memorial of your choice (please refer to the Garden of Rest and Woodland Memorials for permitted sizes).  Should you wish to erect a memorial, this can be carried out via a stone mason and would incur their charges.

In purchasing a Garden of Rest plot you would be purchasing the Exclusive Burial Rights of a plot in the Crematorium currently for fifty years.  Therefore you will be the person responsible for the maintenance of the plot, the person to sign for any memorials placed on the plot and your permission will be required to open the plot at any time.  In the case of joint ownership, all owners will be required to give their consent.  Up to a maximum of four people may be joint owners of the EROB, allowing them all the automatic right to be buried in the plot (space allowing) and have equal responsibilities for memorials etc).  The deeds will then remain with the joint owners until such a time of the death of the last surviving person, then passing to their executor.  Please refer to the burial rights section for further information regarding transferring burial rights.

Woodland Cremated Remains Plot

The woodlands burial ground is a small wooded area located at Thanet Crematorium.  The paths meander through the woodland area and have been created using the natural lie of the land and trees. The plots will be located either side of these pathways.   The plots will be 2’6 X 2’6 which will allow for two interments in spun metal urns provided by your Funeral Director.

The exclusive right of burial can be initially purchased for a twenty-five year period, with the option to increase this time after five years.  A maximum of two people can be joint owners of these plots and their permission will be required to open (unless one of the owners is deceased, in which cases they have the automatic right to be interred in this plot) or place a memorial on the plot, (please refer to the Garden of Rest and Woodland Memorials for permitted sizes).  Should you wish to erect a memorial, this can be carried out via a stone mason and would incur their charges.

Rose Garden

New in 2017 is our Rose Garden planted with standard roses and bush roses with varieties such as Remember Me, Mum in a Million, Blessings, Peace and Korresia.  2 sets of cremated remains may be interred with each rose and a granite marker bearing a personal inscription of your choice is placed in front of the rose.  The dedication period is for 10 years and maybe renewed after that period.  There are no Exclusive Rights of Burial with the roses.

Adopt a Tree

Throughout the cemetery and crematorium gardens are mature grown trees.  Each tree can have up to 4 sets of cremated remains interred at their base.  A granite marker inscribed with a personal message can be placed at the base of the tree in memory of those interred there.  The dedication period is for 10 years and may be renewed after that period.  There is no Exclusive Rights of Burial with the trees.

These options can be booked either via your Funeral Director or directly with us by telephoning 01843 577333 and you and your family and friends may attend to witness the interment or scattering.  If you wish to hold a formal ceremony of the committal, you would need to arrange this directly with a minister.

Should you decide you do not wish to be present at the time of the interment or scattering, this will be carried out by a member of staff 14 days after the cremation, unless specifically requested otherwise to allow a period of reflection.

Kerb memorials

Our kerb memorials will be sited along the cemetery wall, close to the cloisters areas. These plots are for up to two sets of cremated remains and burial rights are for twenty years.

Orb memorial niche

Orb memorials will be placed on our rockery gardens and there is an option to purchase these niche memorials for either two or four sets of cremated remains for a 25 year lease period. There are a choice of inscription plaques

Private gardens

These are situated in a secluded area at the entrance to the crematorium and are leased for a 50 year period. The private gardens are bespoke memorials which can be personally designed, choosing the type of memorial, i.e. traditional headstone, orb memorial, tree or rosebush with private planting. These plots are for a maximum of 4 sets of cremated remains.

If you are planning on arranging a cremation without a funeral director, please contact the crematorium office on 01843 577333.

The following information will give you a guideline of points to consider.

General Information

The date and time of funeral must be booked a minimum of three days (to allow time for the statutory paperwork to be completed) in advance with the Crematorium Office and paid for in full.  If paying by cheque, the cheque will need to clear through Thanet District Council’s accounting system, prior to the cremation taking place.

You will be required to provide five sets of forms when booking a cremation.  Some of these forms should be completed by the applicant for cremation, i.e. the deceased next of kin or executor.

Preliminary Application for Cremation

This form allows crematorium staff to carry out preliminary checks to ensure no errors have been made when booking the date and time of the funeral, provides information regarding ministers conducting the service and music requirements and is also confirms the suitability of the coffin for cremation (over page).  This form is available from the crematorium office and will need to be signed by the applicant for the cremation.

Disposal of Cremated Remains

This form indicates the applicant’s wishes regarding the final disposal of the cremated remains of the deceased.  Again this should be signed by the applicant for the cremation.  Options for dispersal of cremated remains can be found in the Thanet Crematorium brochure.

Application process

Cremation Form 1

This form details information regarding the deceased and should be completed and signed by the applicant for cremation.

Cremation Forms 4 and 5

Arrangements should be made for Forms ‘Cremation 4 and 5’ (Doctor’s papers) to be completed by Medical Practitioners.  These are Statutory documents and General Practitioners and hospitals will have these available for the required doctors to complete. Please note – There will be fees payable to the surgeries/ hospitals for completion of these forms; these fees should be paid directly to them.

Cremation Forms  4 and 5 are not required if H.M. Coroner is issuing a Cremation Form 6.  If cremation forms 4 and 5 are required, these should be delivered either in person or by post in a sealed Medical forms envelope, addressed to the medical referee at Thanet Crematorium.

Cremation forms 4 and 5 are usually released at the same time as the body of the deceased, you must ensure you meet the requirements of the institution releasing the body, i.e. identification, have suitable transport to transport the deceased and suitable facilities to house the deceased until the time of cremation.  You should check with the institution that you meet their requirements prior to booking a funeral time to avoid any delays at a later stage.

Registration Certificate

You will need to register the death at a Registry Office.  The Registrar’s green certificate must be handed to the Crematorium office.  This certificate will not be required if H.M. Coroner is issuing a Cremation Form 6.

** IMPORTANT  Application – Cremation Form 1,

Cremation forms 4 and 5, and the Registration Certificate must be delivered to the Crematorium at least three full working days before the agreed funeral date to allow the medical referee to complete their checks and sign the Cremation Form 10 allowing the cremation to take place.

Other Factors

Arrange for a coffin suitable for cremation.  This should have a solid base to allow the coffin to be placed in the cremator, please refer to The Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities, document “Instructions to Funeral Directors” or the Secretary of State’s Process Guidance Note 5/2, for crematoria, where item 6.10 refers for the suitability of a coffin for cremation.

The coffin must be clearly labelled with the deceased name, to enable crematorium staff to complete required identification checks.

The coffin is required to be lined with “crem film” for Health and Safety purposes.  The deceased may be dressed in “natural fibre” clothing, however no shoes or any other items should be placed in the coffin.  This is a legal requirement, as per the environmental agencies that closely monitor the computer generated emissions results given by each cremation; if there are items in the coffin which are prohibited, the emissions reading will show this, thus resulting in possible action being taken against the applicant for the cremation.  By signing The Preliminary Application for Cremation, the Applicant for Cremation is signing to accept the terms and conditions stated in 1 and 2 above.

Arrange for the collection and transportation of the deceased to the Crematorium for the allocated date and time.

Arrange for a minister or person to conduct the service, if required. Please note – there are likely to be fees payable for this which should be arranged directly with the person.

Decide on the format of the service, it is usual to have service sheets for mourners to follow and to include favourite hymns or music in the service.  The service time is a maximum of 20 minutes and this should be taken into account when planning the service

Arrange for an adequate number of bearers (usually four for an adult cremation) to convey the coffin from vehicle to Chapel catafalque.

If the cremated remains are to be taken away from the Crematorium, arrangements must be made for collection.  If a representative of the applicant is to collect the cremated remains, the applicant must inform this office in person of the name of the chosen representative who will be required to produce identification prior to the cremated remains being released by the Cremation Authority.

Thanet Crematorium is committed to the sensitive and respectful care of all of those entrusted to us. Our policies and processes for infant cremation are aligned to the latest guidance on Infant Cremation, as per the recommendations of Lord Bonomy’s Infant Cremation Commission (June 2014 Scotland). Full statement here: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/06/8342/3

In accordance with this guidance, which is fully supported by the national representative bodies, the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities (FBCA), the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM), the Cremation Society of Great Britain (CSGB) and the Association of Private Crematoria and Cemeteries (APCC) our ashes policy is set out below:

Definition of ashes

In line with Lord Bonomy’s recommendations Thanet Crematorium considers cremated remains and ashes to be one and the same thing and supports the commission’s definition that ashes are “all that is left in the cremator at the end of the cremation process, and following the removal of any metal.”

Return of ashes

Our approach to the cremation of babies and infants is designed to maximise the recovery of ashes. This includes the use of a cremation tray designed to retain ashes where practicable, and the maintenance of operational conditions that will minimise the loss of any ashes during the process of cremation.

We will employ best practice e.g. the use of specialist computer programmes and metal trays and our staff will be vigilant during the cremation process and if appropriate will adjust operational conditions when necessary in order to protect the ashes of babies and infants and maximise their recovery.

We are confident that the equipment and processes adopted for infant cremation at Thanet maximise the likelihood of recovering ashes. In any rare instance of non-recovery of ashes, we will conduct a review of the cremation process within 48 hours to understand why this is the case. The results of this review will be documented and contain details of any adjustments of our procedure deemed to be necessary, and will be available to next of kin/parent(s) if they wish to view these. We will adhere to our identification procedure that guarantees that the ashes resulting from individual cremations returned to parents are those of their baby.

Shared cremations

Where a shared cremation has been authorised, and hence ashes are not individually identifiable, we will take the same care throughout the cremation process, including steps to maximise the recovery of ashes, and will scatter/bury the ashes within the crematorium’s designated area. The location will be recorded for future reference.

Disposal of Ashes

In relation to the disposal of ashes in the case of a private cremation, Thanet Crematorium will only act upon the written instruction of the parent who is acting as the Applicant for Cremation or other person nominated in writing by the parent.

In the case of shared cremations we will only act on the written instruction of the designated person at the relevant hospital, who is acting as the Applicant

Ashes will be held at the crematorium for up to 6 weeks to await collection by representatives or instructions as to their disposal.  Where no further instructions have been received within the six week period, a further fourteen days’ notice will be given in writing to the Applicant, following which the ashes will be scattered or buried within the grounds of the crematorium should no further instructions have been received.

Disposal of Metals – The applicant should give consent for disposal of metals recovered from an individual cremation and must be provided with information on the options available.

Record-Keeping

All cremations of babies and infants will be registered at the crematorium, with all information as contained in forms and certificates being retained indefinitely (This may be in electronic form).

If ashes are scattered or buried within the grounds of the crematorium the final resting place will be recorded. Where ashes are to be collected, the details of any person authorised by the applicant to remove/collect the ashes, and the date on which the ashes were collected will be recorded.

The policy of this Cremation Authority is designed to provide an audit trail from the receipt of initial funeral instructions to the final disposal of ashes, either by collection from the crematorium or by scattering or burial within the confines of the Gardens of Remembrance or other such designated area.

Questions or Queries

If you have any questions or queries about the cremation of your baby, you can speak to the staff at the crematorium office on 01843 577333.

Public Transport

Take a train to Margate Station, then it is approximately a 25 minute walk from the station, or alternatively take a bus (nos. 8, 8A, 32, 32A, 34, 34A or 36) which will take you as far as the Victoria Road and College Road junction; it’s approximately a ten minute walk (up hill) from there along College Road, straight across the traffic lights and then left into Manston Road .

By Car

Sat Nav Post Code – CT9 4LY, Manston Road

Follow the sign post from the A28, along George V Avenue (B 2052), then right onto Hartsdown Road. Then turn right onto Manston Road and take the first turning left to the Crematorium.