A Nottinghamshire crematorium is offering families two new options for the cremated remains of a loved one which are out of this world. Gedling Crematorium is now offering new services called the Memorial Launch and the Voyager Package, which involves ashes being scattered in space.
The crematorium is part of the Westerleigh Group, which has entered into a new partnership with Aura Flights, allowing the new service to become possible. For this service ashes will be placed inside a ‘scatter vessel’ which is fitted to a space-capable biodegradable balloon filled with renewable hydrogen gas.
The ashes are then released in a gentle cascade around 100,000 feet above the earth and spend the next three-to-six months orbiting the globe until they re-enter the atmosphere, where they seed the formation of clouds and fall back to earth as raindrops and snowflakes all over the world.
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The ascent and release of the ashes are captured on video to create a treasured memorial for families of the event. Simiarly, the Voyager package involves a ceremonial portion of a loved one’s ashes to travel into space, to the same height as the scattering launch, but the ashes are then returned to their families on Earth in a premium miniature urn.
Gedling Crematorium Manager Giulia McDonough said: “We are always looking to expand the range of memorial options available to the bereaved in order to give them the widest possible choice and help them to create uniquely personal memorials for their loved ones. Aura Flights offer something that is truly out of this world.
“For centuries, man has looked up at the stars and dreamed of going into space; while few of us ever get to do this during our lifetimes, there is now the option to travel into space for your final journey.
“Within days of the ashes being scattered, families will receive a personalised memorial video showing their loved one’s final journey among the stars.” Samantha Richardson, General Manager of Aura Flights, added: “We're delighted to be partnering with Westerleigh Group to bring Aura Flights to an even bigger audience.
“From the moment we started talking about a collaboration, they saw how special a space scattering can be and their focus is always on supporting the bereaved throughout their journey, which I really admire. They have a wealth of experience in the industry, but they're also always looking for how to make things better - just like our team of engineers and explorers.”
