Original Blog Entry: Pay-per-view funeral service now available

truesee — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:24:34 GMT

Mourners to take advantage of pay-per-view funeral service

Mourners who cannot make it to a loved one's funeral are now able to watch the service on the internet.

By Chris Irvine

Last Updated: 10:59PM BST 15 Apr 2009

The 30 pay-per-view funerals by webcam have been launched by Shorpe's Woodlands Crematorium.

It means those grieving will be given a unique password to access the live video anywhere in the world.

North Lincolnshire Council welcomed the system, which has been set up by Kettering-based Wesley Music.

Council cabinet member for neighbourhood and environment Councillor Len Foster said: I'm sure it will be welcome to any family or friends who cannot attend the service of a loved one for whatever reason.

Jason Threadgold, funeral director with J Naylor Funeral Directors, said: It's definitely a good idea. It's not always possible for people to come from foreign countries to go to funerals at short notice. I think it's a very good idea.

The Rev Cameron Martin, of St Peter's Church, at Bottesford, added: I think it's a super idea. I think it's a wonderful idea. I think it's a way family and friends can engage with the service, he said.

Last year Southampton Crematorium launched a similar internet scheme where friends and relatives could pay 75. While critics claimed the service was macabre, funeral directors defended the system, arguing the mourners as far away as Australia and Canada were already benefiting from it.

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