Have you ever thought about what happens to uncollected ashes? Sadly, it’s an issue faced by many funeral directors. So, it is great to see A.W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service leading the way by supporting the launch of the UK’s first ‘Uncollected Ashes’ database.
The Ashes Register, founded by Richard Martin, is a free service enabling anyone, including the general public, to register a set of ashes and mark the location of where they were scattered. The ability to find lost or forgotten ashes is a new aspect of the website, with A.W. Lymn being the first funeral directors to embrace the register.
A.W. Lymn have uploaded information of all uncollected cremated remains in its possession from before 2000. Incredibly, the oldest date back to 1952. Sadly, there are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of uncollected urns at funeral homes throughout the UK.
Matthew Lymn Rose, Managing Director and fifth generation at A.W. Lymn, explains: “It’s a saddening thought to think of ashes that have been left uncollected, however there are many reasons why this might occur.
“Sometimes, in the aftermath of a funeral, people can be in denial and taking possession of the ashes can be a hard thing to do. In other instances, there is a breakdown in communication amongst a family as to who will collect them. As ashes do not belong to anyone under British law, unless the person who made the funeral arrangements collects them, they go unclaimed.”
Following a funeral, it is the funeral director’s duty of care to look after the ashes. They are kept safe in a Columbarium until whoever made the funeral arrangements is ready to collect them.
Whilst members of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) recommend keeping ashes for at least five years, with efforts being made to contact the rightful recipient, Matthew Lymn Rose at A.W. Lymn explains why they have stored theirs for so long. “As a fifth-generation family business that has been supporting the bereaved in the region for nearing 120 years, we feel a deep sense of responsibility and duty of care to look after cremated remains in our possession, in the hope that they will one day find their way back to someone.
“We do however strongly believe that everyone deserves a final resting place, which is why we are so passionate about this new register. We hope that by leading the way in adding our records, other funeral directors will follow suit and it will become best practice within the industry, hopefully aiding in reducing the number of uncollected ashes stored at funeral branches across the country.”
There may be people out there who would love to be reunited with the ashes of a family member or friend, but who don’t know how to go about finding them, so it’s wonderful that this service is now available.
As Richard Martin says, “Our goal is simple and it’s to reunite as many people as possible with the ashes of a relative or loved one. We feel so passionate about history not being lost in time, which is why we set up this website to provide a space for people to document someone’s final resting place.
“We have received lots of support from leading companies and organisations in the cremation sector on the Ashes Register but A.W. Lymn is the first funeral directors to step forward and be involved in the unclaimed ashes section of the website. They are really paving the way in the industry and we hope this is the start of other funeral directors following suit.”
It is great to see progress and innovation in this sector and it is thanks to forward-looking businesses such as A.W. Lymn and The Ashes Register that changes are being made.
If you would further information, please go to The Ashes Register website or, if you are a funeral director and would like to find out more about uploading information on the ‘Uncollected Ashes’ database, please email Richard Martin at [email protected].
Photo: Matthew Lymn Rose, A. W. Lymn