A major upgrade has been carried out at Sedgemoor Crematorium near Burnham-On-Sea as restrictions on the number of people attending funeral services look set to continue for some time due to Coronavirus.

Sedgemoor crematorium, which is operated by Westerleigh Group, has had a new system installed as part of a complete upgrade of audio-visual equipment, supporting funeral directors and families with the music, hymns and visual tributes they require at ceremonies.

Kevin Davies, Regional Manager, says: “Sadly, it is clear that restrictions that limit the number of people attending a funeral to 30 will be with us for many more months.”

“Webcasting enables people to join in the service online and it has been available for some time. Now, we sometimes have hundreds of mourners logging on for individual services and we have partnered with Obitus to upgrade and improve the technology and make it more robust and reliable.”

“We spoke to funeral arrangers and celebrants and they overwhelmingly supported the look and feel of the online system offered by Obitus as they provide comfort to those who have to use the system.”

The upgrade is part of a nationwide project by Westerleigh Group, who have introduced the same system into all 34 crematoria that it operates in England, Scotland and Wales.

James Crossland, Managing Director of Obitus said: “We share the same core values as Westerleigh in providing a first-class service to the bereaved. From our bases in Sheffield and Henley we have been able to carry out this major installation programme and ensure the system operates well in each location.”

“At the forefront of everything we do is to ensure that in these difficult times people can say goodbye to their loved ones in a dignified way with a seamless webcasting service.”