Agenda item

The Team Manager (PD) noted that memorial sales are always changing but the cremation numbers have become more buoyant. The Gwent Crematorium is currently benefiting from the visual tributes which has proven popular. This option has brought in additional revenue via services. The feedback has been very positive on the visuals that the visitors see.

It also brings in more cremations as there were situations where people would go to other funerals as other places had this facility when the Gwent Crematorium did not.

Numbers for funerals now are very buoyant and the Gwent Crematorium are full almost every day which is good for revenue.

Website

Website is very popular due to the reduced face to face interaction from the impact of the pandemic.

Installation of Audio Equipment

Everything went to plan with the installation of the audio equipment. The team had a couple of days of down time so had it done at the same time. Therefore the crematorium did not lose more use of the building than they needed to.

The improvement is very popular and has made a huge difference in the chapel.

Screen Suggestion by Media Company

A further improvement has been suggested to the Team Manager by the Media Company.

They mentioned that the crematorium could replace the 50 inch screen in their cloister area, with additional wiring work and electric equipment. To be in a position that when visual tributes displayed on the tv screen; rather than seeing just the camera image within the chapel, the cloister screen would show the visual tributes so the full screen would fill up with images of the what pictures the family have suggested.

It was noted that this is certainly something the crematorium’s rivals offer.

PD was quoted for £2885 including all of the cabling and installation. No need to do this but if the committee approve it, then the manager could arrange for that to be done.

Pricing Structure – discretionary items

The committee already approved the cost for visual tributes but subsequent to that manager has been made aware of other things the crematorium could do but did not know when the installation would be made.

PD noted an important idea for the price list, for the facility to charge £75 for orders placed after the cut off for ordering visual tribute requests (the immediate cut off period is after immediate 72 hours). There is no profit in this, but is a fee the company levy as it causes difficulty of late sending such images. So it would be a case of sending the fee back to the families.

PD suggested to delete the current fees for the recordings of CD’s, USB’s and DVD’s, CDs have never been popular and the media company struggle to make these as most of the staff work from home now.

Suggested to rename these items, retain the £92 fees and offer downloadable files; the same thing but including the visual tributes of family photographs to the downloaded file. No difference in the cost to that. And the offer the same thing with CD’s and DVD’s but for £92 on top of the other £92 cost for the downloadable files. A unity of cost across the items of what would suit people better.

Service Times

The increased service time has proved very popular with the public regarding positive feedback. It has been instrumental in increasing the number of services per month, so it has been successful.

As the crematorium is now offering 45 minute service times, the extension need for services has now gone. The Team Manager proposed that they could drop that option from their service list. They have not been asked for an extension by the public since they increased the service time.

With the offer for memorial service; at the moment the Gwent Crematorium charge £196 for a Memorial Service, where people bring ashes or service has taken place in another crematorium and they do a service with their local families in the Gwent Crematorium.

This takes away the time for a cremation time, therefore increases the waiting time for services; the manager would like to overhaul how they charge for that.

Therefore PD proposed a standard cremation fee £828, remove the cost of an unattended cremation which is £450 which leaves a charge of £378. Which puts our revenue where it should be under normal circumstances. It would add clarity to the pricing structure.

The Crematorium have been successful in keeping the green flag award for the fifth consecutive year. And managed to keep their gold award for the chartered for the bereaved benchman scheme for the third consecutive time.

The move to longer service times and visual tribute prices would add to this and consolidate the Crematorium’s position.

Mention of Longstanding Staff Member Retirement

The Team Manager informed the Committee that Doctor Brian Wilcox who has been a medical referee at the crematorium since 1982 was taking retirement on this day. He has been titled the longest serving medical referee in the country and has been an enormous asset in running of the crematorium; as well as a great friend and colleague to the team of the crematorium over the years.

The Committee passed on good wishes for his retirement and the committee suggested if they could send a letter to thank him for his services over the several years.

Agreed:

1.      The Committee approved of the quoted cost of £2885 for allowing the works to relay visual tributes on the screen.

2.      The Committee agreed and approved of the change of the CDs/DVDs to the downloadable file with a visual file including tributes to remain the same at £92. The Team Manager confirmed that funeral directors are aware on every instance of the cut off period and that they only had one instance where this had to be charged.

3.      The Committee agreed and approved of the suggestion of Memorial Service cost to reflect the actual cost of cremation minus the unattended cremation cost itself; as the Team Manager confirmed with the Committee it is very rarely asked for. They factored in that the service would take time, and factoring in the removal of an extension time and they are happy to recoup charges if necessary.

4.      The Committee agreed that the crematorium can delete the option of extended service times.

5.      The Committee Clerk would write a letter of thanks to Dr Brian Wilcox on behalf of the Committee to thank him for his outstanding service.