Wessex Vale Crematorium to become funeral ‘SuperVenue’
Wessex Vale Crematorium is to become a funeral SuperVenue, enabling bereaved families to experience immeasurable personalisation to their loved ones’ services.
It will close from Saturday May 16 for state-of-the-art technology to be installed into the recently refurbished chapel which will enable innovative immersive themed experiences to make funeral services more uniquely personal than ever before.
Automatic blinds, new lighting and a special canvas will be installed before the crematorium reopens for services on Tuesday 2 June.
Wessex Vale Crematorium is part of Westerleigh Group, one of the UK’s largest independent owners and operators of crematoria and cemeteries, with 42 sites in England, Scotland and Wales, and which is trusted by more families than any other provider to deliver funerals for their loved ones.
All Westerleigh's locations are set within beautifully landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide peaceful places for people to visit and reflect, while benefiting from exceptional care and support from its teams.
As a SuperVenue, families attending the crematorium for their loved one’s service will be greeted with external welcome screens, first one of which can display the name and image of the person being remembered, the other can show the service livestream - an important detail, especially for larger congregations.
Inside the chapel, mourners will find themselves surrounded by a beautifully-curated immersive theme as selected by the closest family, projected onto the entire front wall of the chapel - canvas - and accompanied by harmoniously co-ordinated soundscapes and lighting.
Wessex Vale Crematorium Manager Sarah Barrett said: “I am excited that we will be the latest crematorium within Westerleigh Group to be able to offer this truly unique funeral experience to the bereaved.
“The technology enables families to personalise a funeral to an unprecedented level and create an atmosphere that is truly authentic to the person it remembers.
“There is such a wide choice of canvases - some themes are scenic or represent seasons, others reflect specific interests and passions, all designed to curate a uniquely personal funeral service.”
The technology was initially unveiled – in a world-first – late in 2024 at Westerleigh’s Gedling Crematorium in Nottinghamshire. Since then, Westerleigh Group has committed to making the technology available to an increasing number of its crematoria all over the country.
Sarah added: “Families who have hosted their loved one’s service in one of the five existing SuperVenues across the country often say it brought a deeply personal touch to the funeral, with many describing the experience as ‘taking their breath away’.
“With decades of experience managing high-quality, peaceful crematoria and cemeteries, Westerleigh’s deep understanding of bereavement care shapes everything we do and now it is bringing the SuperVenue concept to Wessex Vale Crematorium.
“We are looking forward to making our funerals here more memorable – and special – than ever before.”
For more information about Wessex Vale Crematorium, the many services it offers and the exceptional care and support provided by the team, can visit: