Pam Swain - Congratulations on your well deserved retirement from Torbay Cemetery and Crematorium Ltd after 12 years dedicated service. All of your colleagues wish you a long, healthy and happy retirement. It has been a pleasure working with you and you will be missed.

Completed refurbishment
The management and staff at Torbay Cemetery & Crematorium Ltd are pleased to announce that the refurbishment and modernisation of the facilities at Torquay Crematorium have now been completed and we would like to thank the Funeral Services, Clergy and General Public for their patience and support during this time.

The crematorium building has a new, larger porte cochere, which provides a more ceremonial entrance and better shelter to the bereaved as the funeral cortege arrives for the service.

The waiting room has a new dedicated entrance to provide a more welcoming feel and improved access, however it retains the facility to be able to hear the service when there are very large numbers of mourners.

The chapel itself has been extended to include standing room for a further 30-40 people and has been fully refurbished with all new fixtures and fittings whilst retaining the original, ornate committal gates and catafalque that have been in situ since the crematorium opened in 1956 and are an important feature that were requested to remain by the local Funeral Directors and Clergy.

Upon leaving the chapel, there is a new floral court surrounded by landscaped beds and gardens. Within this area, there is a new canopy at the centre which is positioned away from the building, in order to provide greater privacy to the family to be able to view their floral tributes and meet the other mourners.

The new crematorium office is now situated in the same building as the crematorium and has been significantly upgraded with the latest equipment to ensure all the needs of the general public are met.

The Book of Remembrance room has been refurbished and has a much improved appearance and remains a quiet contemplative place to remember loved ones. The Book of Remembrance is still available to view 365 days a year.

The toilet facilities have been modernised to include the disabled and vestry toilets and are accessible by their own entrances to maintain an element of privacy and improve access.

The Cemetery Chapel in Barton Road proved extremely popular during the refurbishment, with some families even requesting its use for subsequent family funerals. Due to this popularity the cemetery chapel will now be available for families on request.

Our aim was to keep the disruption to the service to a minimum during the refurbishment, and due to the excellent co-operation from the Funeral Directors, Ministers and Organists we will now be able to provide mourners a much improved experience when visiting the crematorium to attend a service or view a memorial.

Osteoporosis service at Torbay Hospital to benefit from local donation Staff at Torbay Hospital’s Osteoporosis Service are to benefit from a generous donation. The gift of £2,000 has been given to the hospital by Torbay Cemetery and Crematorium in Hele, and will be used by health professionals to attend specialist training so they can offer top quality care and support to those with long term bone conditions. Ms Alex Finch, Manager at Cemetery and Crematorium explained: "When a loved one is cremated there is often some metal remaining. We ask every bereaved family when they make the funeral arrangements if they would allow us to recycle this metal. These items are sympathetically removed and recycled in a non–profit manner. We appreciate that this is an extremely sensitive subject but hope that bereaved relatives can take some comfort in knowing that the money raised has helped a good cause. Any money that is raised from this process is returned to the crematorium and donated to a charity of our choice. "This year we are pleased to have raised £2000 and are delighted to donate to the Osteoporosis Service at Torbay Hospital, knowing the money is going to such a good cause and will benefit them in continuing their important work”. Chris Dixon, Lead Nurse, Rheumatology/Osteoporosis at Torbay Hospital said: "We would like to thank Torbay Crematorium for their very kind donation. This money will enable our healthcare professionals to attend specialist training in exercise and osteoporosis, and so will benefit our many patients with that and other long-term bone conditions."