Westerleigh Group unveils new memorial offering for music lovers
The new offering comes through a new partnership with And Vinyly, a music label that can press the ashes of a loved one onto a traditionally-made vinyl record
Westerleigh Group has launched bespoke vinyl records featuring recordings and images of a loved one, each containing a small amount of their ashes.
The new offering, which has been introduced as the group aims to create “unique and personal” memorials, comes through a new partnership with And Vinyly, a music label that can press the ashes of a loved one onto a traditionally-made vinyl record.
Options include making several 7” or 12” records for a similar price to a single vinyl, therefore enabling family members and friends to each have a lasting record of their loved one to treasure.
The record can include a personal message, someone’s own soundtrack or just the sound of silence with the unmistakable background of the pops and crackles of a vinyl record.
Matthew Brook, head of partnerships and propositions at Westerleigh Group, said: “We are always looking to expand the range of memorial options available to the bereaved in order to give them the widest possible choice and help them to create uniquely personal memorials for their loved ones.
“What you receive is a real playable vinyl record containing around 18 minutes of audio on each side, along with a small amount of the ashes. And it is not only music that can form the soundtrack, many people choose to include recordings of special occasions or conversations with their loved ones on the vinyl.”
And Vinyly was established in 2006 by Yorkshire-based music producer and music label owner Jason Leach, who had been reflecting on mortality but found himself focusing on it a little more after his mother began working at a funeral directors.
Leach said: “We have developed a unique additional process that enables us to press a small amount of a loved one’s ashes into real vinyl records, creating an audio-visual memento.
“The first step is the collation of the content. This can be collaborative and is, we have learned, often a cathartic experience, with friends and family contributing photographs and words, voicemails, answerphone messages and recordings of special times.”
He added: “Our partnership with Westerleigh Group will enable us to serve even more bereaved and help them create beautifully bespoke vinyl records which can be kept at home, played and cherished for generations.”
