A TEST Valley crematorium is honouring Captain Sir Tom Moore by raising money in his memory on what would have been his 101st birthday. Test Valley Crematorium site manager, Rob Metcalf, plans on running 100 laps around the site’s car park in a bid to raise money for The Captain Tom Foundation. The charity was created to ensure Sir Tom s message of hope becomes a lasting legacy by supporting causes that were close to his heart and remain dear to his family. These include several which combat loneliness, champion education and equality and continue to support the NHS. Now the 35-year-old hopes the challenge will take around two-and-a-half hours, which should see him cover around 16 miles.
Sirhowy Valley Crematorium site manager, Jon Deacon, said: “Mother’s Day can be a particularly poignant time for those who have lost loved ones. “Lockdown restrictions will prevent many people from being able to remember their mothers in the way they would wish to, and families will not be able to gather together as they may have done otherwise. “That’s why we wanted to provide this Mother’s Day service, to bring some comfort to people and to enable them to feel that they are honouring their lost loved ones in a special way. “Our festive services of remembrance, which were streamed on-line in December, proved extremely popular and we had some very positive feedback, so we hope people will be equally as pleased with our Mother’s Day service.”
“We believe it will provide local families with a wider choice of funeral services. “Prior to Sirhowy Valley Crematorium opening, the nearest alternatives were all more than 10 miles away, and journeys take more than 30 minutes in a funeral cortege. “We are pleased to be able to offer a facility that will significantly reduce this travel time, improving the experience for the bereaved and ensuring that their time can be fully focused on the funeral service itself.” Jon Deacon, a former funeral director who is the site manager at the new crematorium, said: “I am proud to be the first site manager at Sirhowy Valley Crematorium and I am looking forward to serving our local communities at the time when they’re experiencing exceptional levels of pain and heartache from losing a loved one.
Schachtel explained while funeral home staff and death-care workers are doing everything they can to support those who are bereaved, they are dealing with bodies who have carried the COVID-19 virus and comforting family members who may have interacted with that person while they were alive.
Considering the increased risk, Schachtel says he hopes the government of Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Health ensure they re part of the Phase 1 rollout of the vaccine, set to start in late December. Lets face it, most of the deaths that are happening are in the nursing homes, and we have to go there to pick up the deceased, so we re coming into COVID territory, he said. We have to be ready, just like the health-care workers do that are caring for these seniors in their care homes.