Wear Valley Crematorium

Coundon
Bishop Auckland
County Durham
DL14 8PE

Telephone: 01388 722606

Crematorium information

Wear Valley Crematorium is a modern, state-of-the-art building, which opened on 2 March 2009 and is set in eight acres of well-maintained grounds. We are located six miles from Junction 60 of the A1 on the A689 just outside Coundon Village, and are ideally placed to serve the communities of Bishop Auckland, Newton Aycliffe and County Durham.

Our quaint chapel can accommodate 75 seating. For larger funerals, we have standing room in the foyer and a canopied area to stand if needed where the service can still be heard from our external speaker system. We also provide music and visual tributes with screens inside the chapel and in the foyer.

Our chapel is also multi-faith. We can help you arrange the service according to your cultural and religious needs. 

We have a book of remembrance room to view our book daily and we are also in the process of being able to offer this digitally so that anyone can view this from the comfort of their own home.

The crematorium is fully accessible for the less-abled, accessible toilets and a hearing loop system.

Our gardens of remembrance offer a wide variety of memorials including scattering, rose beds, rockeries and private gardens. They have been designed to blend into the rural surroundings. We boast two ponds with ducks and moor hens residing side by side with our koi carp . The gardens provide a tranquil and comforting environment for quiet contemplation. 

We are here to help you with your service and memorials. Our dedicated and caring staff treat every family with dignity and respect. At the service we will be there to help you every step of the way.

Admin Office email address - wearvalley.crematorium@thecmg.co.uk

Memorial Office email address - wearvalley.memorialoffice@thecmg.co.uk

Facebook page - Wear Valley Crematorium | Durham | Facebook

Book of Remembrance online -  Wear Valley Crematorium Book of Remembrance (remembrance-books.com)

Opening Hours

The Office:
Our office is open Monday - Friday 09:00 - 17:00. We encourage booking an appointment prior to visiting. Please contact the crematorium to make an appointment.

The collection of cremated remains and memorial consultations can still take place by means of an appointment.

The Grounds:
Our grounds remain open to members of the public.

The Memorial Office:
Appointments can be made by contacting the crematorium by telephone or email.

The Book of Remembrance Room:
Our Book of Remembrance is available during normal office hours. Before visiting please contact the crematorium directly. The pages are turned daily and you an visit online at https://www.remembrance-books.com/wearvalley/

Parking

There are 54 parking spaces available with 2 less-abled spaces.

Our fees

We know that understanding what goes into the cost of a funeral can sometimes be difficult for families. We also recognise that understanding the overall financial implications of arranging a funeral is important. To this end we have included a downloadable price list of the services available to you.

It is important to us that any confusion is completely removed to help families to fully understand what the Cremation Fee includes, and what this means as part of the wider cost of the funeral. We have outlined the elements that are necessary to provide a cremation service to you below, although of course we would be happy to discuss any further queries you might have directly with you. You can contact us at any time to talk through any further options and any fees that might apply.

The cremation fee includes the following:

• All professional services relating to the administration and registration of the cremation, in line with statutory regulation.
• The use of our Chapel along with the assistance of a trained staff member on the day of the service.
• The provision of music during the funeral service (please contact the Crematorium for details of our available options).
• The sensitive handling of the cremation in line with environmental legislation.
• The appropriate national environmental levy for mercury abatement.
• The scattering or interment of the ashes within our Gardens of Remembrance, or the preparation for their removal along with a suitable container and the Cremation Certificate.
• Alternatively, we will look after the ashes safely and securely at our Crematoria site and can share with you the various options and next steps available to care for your loved ones ashes.

We also offer weekend services, fees for which along with  other available services are detailed in the PDF attachment entitled Cremation Price List

Direct cremation

We have a number of options available to meet the ever increasing demand for this service which are detailed below.

Unattended Direct Cremation

• There will be no service in the chapel and no mourners in attendance.
• Sometime following the cremation, staff at the Crematorium will contact the Applicant to confirm instructions for the ashes in order to offer any further assistance. There are many occasions when families change their decision having had time for further thought and discussion.

Attended Direct Cremation

• The attended direct cremation is available at 9.00am.
• This option enables families to attend the crematorium to see the coffin in the chapel and be able to spend a few moments with the coffin before the leaving the chapel.
• The crematorium staff will be available to help and assist you during the time at the crematorium, showing you both in and out of the chapel at the appropriate times.
• Music may also be played should you wish.
• Sometime following the cremation, staff at the Crematorium will contact the Applicant to confirm instructions for the ashes in order to offer any further assistance. There are many occasions when families change their mind having had time for further thought.

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