Webcasting providing comfort to nearly 100 bereaved families

01 May 2020 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news

Northumberland County Council is supporting bereaved families in the county by providing free webcasts from funerals at its crematorium in Blyth  - with nearly 100 families using the service so far.

The crematorium is providing the webcasts free of charge so that family members and friends who are unable to attend the service due to Covid-19 restrictions can watch from the safety of their homes.

During the lockdown period the crematorium has run 94 free webcasts, and almost all of those families have also taken advantage of the option to download and keep the recording.

Councillor Glen Sanderson, Cabinet member for local services at Northumberland County Council said:  “We are very pleased that during these most difficult of times we are able to provide this service to bereaved families.  

“It seems to have been very much welcomed, and we hope that it continues to provide some comfort to families, who are now able to take up the free service regardless of their circumstances.”

There has normally been a charge for the webcast service, however the council has waived this during the current coronavirus crisis.

Webcasts and downloads are arranged through funeral directors as part of the service arrangements. 

During this current period social distancing restrictions still apply at funerals in order to safeguard bereaved families and staff, with the number of mourners at funerals limited to a maximum of ten members of the immediate family of the deceased.