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Crematorium 'first' to have coloured lighting

BBC A photo shows eight rows of chairs on the left hand side of the picture, and a walkway in the middle, and eight rows on the other side of chairs. The chairs are green. There is also double doors in the middle which are closed, and round lights hanging from the ceiling omitting a pale white light. BBC
The crematorium opened in August

A newly opened crematorium in Plymouth is the first in the UK to offer a "colour wash wall" for funeral services, staff said.

The crematorium, called The Park, near Haye Road in Plympton, opened earlier this month and was a £29m project which began in November 2020.

Plymouth City Council said it was the first in the country to have a "colour wash wall", which is different coloured lights projected onto the ceremony rooms' walls.

Councillor Sally Haydon, cabinet member for community safety, libraries, cemeteries and crematoria said it was a "beautiful space to say goodbye to any loved one".

A small TV screen is hung on a wall to the right of the photo which is displaying a beach scene with sea and a sunset above it with birds flying across. To the left of the photo a bright pink and purple light shines in a white wall. There is also a lectern with a microphone in the middle of the photo
People can choose which colour to project onto the wall in the ceremony rooms

The site also has a café which is within walking distance from the crematorium which is open for people who are attending a funeral as well as for passers-by.

The site has three ceremony rooms of different sizes.

Ms Haydon said: "Two of our crematoriums, I'd be polite in saying, they're Victorian. What we need is a nice, modern and well facilitated area for bereaved families to say goodbye to their loved ones.

"We have rooms that will cater for larger events as well as smaller rooms for more intimate funeral services."

She added: "Let's say you support Plymouth Argyle and you want to have a green wall, you can have that.

"You can pick any colour you want, and if you can't agree you can pick a rainbow colour."

Ms Haydon added there were also possible plans for a bus route to stop at the site.

"Myself and the Plymouth City Council team are looking at some bus transport coming into The Park.

"We're certainly in the planning stages."

Graham Smith, head of bereavement services for Plymouth City Council, said: "We're already seeing wildlife come to the site, there's dragonflies on the pond and swallows and swifts.

"It's just that nature coming back and gives families something else to focus on on what can be the worst day of their lives."

An open day is set to be held with a date to be decided soon, staff said.

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