THE COMPANY that runs Parndon Wood Crematorium has given an update following a fire in the chapel last week.

A spokesperson for the Westerleigh Group said: “We regret to advise that our chapel at Parndon Wood Cemetery and Crematorium suffered damage caused by a fire on Monday 28 February 2022.

The incident took place between family services and Essex County Fire & Rescue Service were promptly called to attend and extinguish the fire. The safety of our colleagues and bereaved families is paramount to us; we are pleased that no one was injured during the incident.

Unfortunately, due to the incident, we are currently unable to operate family services in our chapel facility. With the assistance of funeral directors, we are ensuring that families who previously booked their services at our crematorium have an option to hold the service at other neighbouring Westerleigh crematoria (e.g. Woollensbrook Cemetery and Crematorium, which is seven miles away; Forest Park Cemetery and Crematorium which is 13 miles away). We encourage families to liaise directly with their funeral director for the most up-to-date information.

Our crematory services and facilities remain unaffected.

We are working towards installing a temporary chapel on our grounds to give families an option of holding their service at Parndon Wood or a neighbouring crematorium, while the repair works to our main chapel are being carried out.  We will share further details regarding our resolution plans as soon as they emerge.

“We are taking all possible steps to ensure that the bereaved families are able to hold the final farewell of their loved one and thank everyone for their patience whilst we are making further arrangements to minimise impact on the families”. 

Funeral Directors Daniel Robinsons issued a statement last week. It can be seen below.