Grieving compares mom’s interment to a comedy sketch
- Peggy Whitworth, 94, wanted to be buried next to her husband Ken
- Her daughter, Claire, was greeted by unprepared staff at Poole Crematorium
- A staff member blamed the blunder on various computer system errors
A grieving daughter has likened her mother’s interment to a Monty Python sketch after crematorium staff bungled the ceremony.
Peggy Whitworth’s final wish was to be buried next to her beloved husband Ken but when her family arrived to say their final goodbyes the crematorium wasn’t prepared.
Staff did not prepare the burial site and instead asked the family to ‘sprinkle’ the ashes on to the plot.
When told no, the staff member dug a shallow hole meaning the ashes spilled over to ground level as she pitifully tried to pat a piece of turf over them.
The 94-year-olds daughter, Claire Mills, revealed the process became increasingly ridiculous – and more reminiscent of a comedy sketch as it went on.
Peggy Whitworth’s (pictured) was compared to a Monty Python sketch by her daughter who says crematorium staff were totally unprapred
The 94-year-old’s last wish was to be buried next to her beloved husband Ken (pictured at their wedding)
Claire, her sister, niece and nephew attended the ceremony at Poole Crematorium in Dorset following her mother’s death in April.
However the grieving daughter, alongside family members who had made the 107-mile journey from London, were stunned when the staff had no record of their appointment.
Claire, 55, an administrator from Poole, said: ‘We arranged the funeral through Tappers.
‘Mum wanted her ashes buried with dad so Tappers contacted BCP Council to find out where dad’s ashes were and arranged the interment for us.
‘It did take them a couple of times chasing to get proper confirmation.’
The 55-year-old explained they had booked the appointment for 2.15pm on June 7 and were even told to arrive ten minutes early.
Yet upon their arrival, they were greeted by an empty office and unprepared staff.
‘We went to the office and rang the bell but nobody came, we looked around but there was no one.
‘Eventually a woman came into the office at 2.20pm and when we told her why we were there she just looked at us blankly.
‘She then brought out the ashes and asked “what are you doing with them?” We explained we were there for the interment and she said they had no record of that.
Dubbing the experience as ‘unprofessional’, Claire divulged the staff member was on the phone with the council querying as to where Peggy’s husband was laid to rest.
However her grieving daughter, Claire Mills (pictured) was left shocked when Poole Crematorium had no record of their appointment for her mother’s interment
Staff did not know where her father was buried and even asked if they could sprinkle her mother’s ashes on top of her husband’s grave so they did not have to dig a hole (pictured: Ken and Peggy)
‘About ten minutes later she still hadn’t found anything out and I remembered I had an email from Tappers with the grid reference for where dad was buried,’ she said.
‘She then asked if we wanted mum’s ashes actually put in the ground or if we were okay to have them sprinkled on top of the grass.
‘I said ‘are you kidding me?’ She came out of the office with a spade and went down to the green to dig a hole.
‘As we were walking down she said sorry they had had a lot of computer issues and many clients’ information had gone awry.
‘We didn’t really need to hear about that as we’re on our way to say goodbye.
‘It was a really rough hole and as my nephew was pouring the ashes in it became obvious the hole wasn’t deep enough.
Realising the ashes were going to emerge beyond the grass level, the staff member then attempted to pat some turf over the top.
A staff member blamed the confusion with bookings on various computer errors (pictured: Poole Crematorium)
‘At this point we felt like we were in a comedy sketch from Monty Python. My sister and I just looked at each other, shaking our heads,’ she added.
‘The woman said “someone will come along later and make that good”. We just wanted it be over, we thought what’s going to happen next. It was just farcical.
‘It was supposed to be a poignant goodbye, mum and dad together again, and it was just totally ruined.
‘They should have been prepared, with a hole already dug when we got there. We all cried, it was just not what we wanted.’
Kate Langdown, Director of Environment at BCP Council said: ‘Our dedicated team at BCP Bereavement Care enables around three and a half thousand cremations to take place every year which includes more than 600 interment or scattering of ashes.
‘Every ceremony is equally important, and we aim to conduct each one with dignity and respect.
“On this occasion, an oversight on the cremation paperwork meant that the staff were late in preparing the location intended for these ashes.
‘This should not have happened, and we sincerely apologise to the family for the distress felt as a result of it.’
