These key changes have been made to Dewsbury funerals during new lockdown rules

Strict restrictions have been in place at funeral services throughout the lockdown to protect mourners, staff and funeral directors as much as possible from the coronavirus (COVID-19).

At this time up to 10 mourners can stand outside the chapel whilst a minister or celebrant of their choice performs a short service before the coffin is carried into the chapel by the funeral director.

As public health advice changes, the council is starting to plan for socially distanced services to take place inside the chapels.

From the June 1 up to 10 mourners will be able enter the crematorium chapel to attend a funeral service.

Councillor Rob Walker, Cabinet Member for Environment said: “I am sure you will appreciate that any unprecedented event requires decisions to be made with the best evidence available at the time, and it is testament to the sacrifices we have all made over the last two months that we are beginning to see a decline in the number of people infected by and in the worst cases dying from this terrible disease.

"I know that the sacrifice made by families who’ve lost a loved one during the last few weeks has been particularly heart-breaking, and not being able to hold a normal service can only have made a difficult time even harder.

"We are still a long way from normal, but I do hope that opening the chapels to 10 people will at least provide some additional comfort to immediate family members and close friends at their time of need. We will continue to review the position.

"As we mentioned before we will be working with councillors, partners, funeral directors, faith networks and the bereaved to develop a day of remembrance. This will mean that when we are once again able to gather in groups we can come together to pay our respects to family members who have passed away."

To help facilitate this change booking times will be increasing from 20 minutes to 30 minutes to enable a clean between services, and chapels will be laid out so that those attending can stay safely apart.

Hand sanitisers are being installed for use before and after entering the chapel and people will be encouraged to keep 2 meters apart as the travel through the space.

Those unable to attend the funeral service will still be able to watch for free through the council’s webcasting service.

The council will continue to offer their cremation services at the direct cremation rate, to reflect the reduced number of people who can attend the service.

Graveside burial services can still be booked and will continue to go ahead with a reduced maximum of 10 mourners. Social distancing should be observed to allow bereavement service staff and gravediggers to carry out their duties safely.

To make sure that people affected by these and earlier changes are able to pay their respects to loved ones who have passed away, the council is continuing to work with funeral directors to seek alternative options. One example of this is to work with families to hold a celebration of life or similar service later in the year when facilities become available again.

Anyone who has any questions about the process is advised to speak to their funeral director, who will be able to support them with arrangements.

The council has also recently enhanced their bereavement support package to provide additional support for you during this difficult time.

This includes setting up a new number for people to call if they need to talk to someone about their loss, the changes to the service or is looking for advice on who to contact for specialist support. The service can be contacted by calling 01484 456999 option 4, alternatively advice can be found on the council website www.kirklees.gov.uk/bereavementsupport.