The Society says it is the first UK co-operative to join a ground-breaking online initiative to address what is a long-standing issue in the funeral sector.
Details of 725 unclaimed remains have been uploaded to The Ashes Register. The urns containing the ashes are being stored at 16 funeral homes in the Co-op’s trading area covering Coventry, Warwickshire, and parts of Northamptonshire and South Leicestershire.
The oldest remains are of Alexander Anderson who was cremated at Canley Crematorium, Coventry in 1956.
It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of unclaimed urns are sitting in funeral homes across the nation.
Matthew George, head of client services at Heart of England Co-op Funerals, explained that there are many reasons why relatives fail to pick up ashes.
“Sometimes people who have suffered a loss find it very hard to come and collect the ashes as it brings a sense of finality. However, at times it can simply be down to a miscommunication between family members as to who is collecting the cremated remains.
“Sadly, another reason is that the deceased has no known next of kin. Some people also leave the ashes until they pass away themselves so that they can be scattered or buried with their loved ones.”
He welcomed the new database, adding that the Society is proud to be leading the way in the co-operative world.
The National Association of Funeral Directors advises that cremated remains should be retained for at least five years. However, the Heart of England Co-op has been holding onto its unclaimed urns for decades.
“We keep them until they are collected by the family,” said Mr George. “We have been serving our community for 192 years and we feel a strong duty of care to look after the cremated remains of people whose funerals we arranged. We believe that they need to be afforded the same level of professional care and respect as when they were first brought into our care.
“Details of all the cremated remains in our possession are also diligently recorded and logged within our own databases. The urns are kept in secure locations in each of our funeral branches. Each set of ashes is stored alongside the relevant cremation certification to ensure easy identification.”
Whilst most cremated remains are kept at the branch where the funeral was organised, the oldest ones are kept in a special storage area at the Co-op’s funeral home in Towcester.
The Ashes Register was set up by Richard Martin to enable the public to register a set of ashes and to create a permanent record of where they were scattered. The unclaimed ashes section of the website is a recent addition.
He said “We initially set up this website to provide a space for people to document a person’s final resting place. We are now also aiming to reunite as many people as possible with the uncollected ashes of a relative or loved one. We feel so passionate about history not being lost in time.
“We have received lots of support from leading companies and organisations in the cremation sector on the Ashes Register. The Heart of England is the first co-operative in the whole of the UK to step forward and become involved in the new unclaimed ashes section of the website.”
To view Heart of England Co-op’s listing for uncollected ashes visit:
https://ashesregister.com/ashes-sites/category/heart-of-england-co-op-funerals/united-kingdom/