Westerleigh Group opens Mercia Forest Crematorium

The Westerleigh Group has announced the opening of its new Mercia Forest Crematorium in the Midlands.

The new crematorium is situated in Broad Lane, Essington and serves the communities of Walsall, Wolverhampton, Cannock and surrounding areas.

The focal point of the new development is the contemporary chapel building, which can seat up to 112 guests, with additional standing room.

The chapel features two high resolution tribute screens and has an extensive music library alongside a dedicated viewing room to accommodate requests for witnessed cremations.

The crematorium also has 75 standard parking spaces, four disabled parking spaces and two coach parking spaces.

It is also an eco-friendly site with solar photovoltaics and a crematory heat recovery system, further supported by smart energy features such as zonal heating and lower-energy lighting.

Joanne Taylor, manager of the crematorium, said: “We opened for services on Monday 10 July but held an open day Saturday 8 July, and we were delighted to welcome more than 150 visitors. They were a mixture of local funeral directors, other industry partners and a large number of visitors from within our surrounding communities.

“The feedback we had was extremely positive, and we are confident that this is a place where everyone will feel welcome. It’s our aim to have an extremely positive presence within the communities we serve. The whole team here at Mercia Forest Crematorium is looking forward to getting to know our neighbours, whether that’s our funeral directors or the local residents.”

The Westerleigh Group has 37 other sites across England, Scotland and Wales.