The hard work of Northumberland’s Registration Service during the Covid pandemic will be celebrated as part of a national day tomorrow (Thurs). 

Over the last year the service has had to quickly adapt to the ever-changing restrictions on death registrations and funerals; birth registrations and weddings. 

They have supported families and couples through these difficult times often going the extra mile to ensure weddings were still able to take place and funeral services could be arranged at short notice. 

The service will be joining in the #LoveYourRegistrars! Day and will be sharing stories from the past year throughout the day on their social media pages - @WeddingsinNland. 

As restrictions have eased the team has been dealing with the backlog of birth registrations and weddings which have had to be postponed or cancelled.  

In a normal year the weddings team would perform 2,000 weddings and in the last month they have already conducted over 300 weddings for couples who have had to rearrange. 

Extended hours have also been offered a number of council-owned venues to allow more weddings to take place. During the second lockdown 77 weddings were planned and following the announcement the team were able to quickly rearrange 16 weddings before restrictions changed. 

Cllr Colin Horncastle, cabinet member for Community Services at Northumberland County Council said: “Over the last year our registration team has been working tirelessly to continue to support families and couples through these difficult times. Our teams are there for the happiest and saddest moments in our lives, and at no time in recent history has that support been more needed than over the last year. 

“Staff have had to adapt to working in new ways, whilst still offering a professional and empathetic service to families who have lost loves ones during this crisis.   

“For many their plans to get married have been shattered but our staff have worked around the clock to try and support couples in rearranging their special day. I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone at the service for the incredible work they have done and the efforts they have made to continue to run the service.” 

Jeff Gascoigne, of A.J Gascoigne & Son Funeral Directors, Ashington also thanked the team for their support,  “As a local funeral director, I appreciate the support and help received from the Northumberland Registrars especially over the last 15 months during this Covid pandemic. The registration of death process has been streamlined with no face to face appointments. However, this has only worked due to the efficiency of the registrars by chasing doctors and hospitals for medical certificates and putting families at ease during a very emotional time of losing a loved one. They are an important cog in the wheel at a time when we all have had to pull together to support grieving families.” 

Throughout Thursday the team will be sharing stories from the service as well as testimonials and also “A Day in the Life of a Registrar” video featuring Kim Brooks a Registration Officer based at Hexham.