As Bodies Pile Up - Frequent Cremations keep UK Chapel mourners warm
Pastor Dale Morgan
As Bodies Pile Up - Frequent Cremations keep UK Chapel mourners warm
Last Updated: 1:53am GMT 08/01/2008
As the bodies from UK morgues pile up, mourners shivering in UK chapels
are to be kept warm using "body heat" generated from cremating their
loved ones.
The idea will be tried at a crematorium near Manchester where grieving
friends and relatives have complained of the cold during services.
Tameside council will use heat from cremating bodies to keep the
mourners warm at Dukinfield Crematorium.
Town hall chiefs say the heat generated will be enough to power the
boiler and light the chapel. But they admit it is a "sensitive" issue
and have promised to consult clergy and the wider community.
Robin Monk, the environment chief of Tameside Council, said: "I'm not
sure how people will react, but we don't want to upset anyone. We will
carry out full consultation with priests, vicars and the public before a
decision is taken."
The Rev Tim Hayes, of St John's Church, Dukinfield, said: "I have no
problem with it," and the Rev Vernon Marshall, of Old Chapel, said: "As
a final act of generosity, it's a lovely way for the dead to provide
comfort for the living at a difficult time."