Warwick resident criticises Oakley Woods Crematorium after having issues creating a tribute for his late wife

John Payton’s wife, Jacqueline, died in early October 2021 and her funeral took place later that month at Oakley Woods, where she was cremated and her ashes scattered.

Then at the beginning of this year, John submitted memorial wording for an entry into the crematorium’s Book of Remembrance, which he said was delayed despite submitting it on time.

He said: “The deadline for submissions was July 31 and I submitted mine more than six months before the required deadline date so it should have appeared in the Book of Remembrance on the anniversary of her date of death – October 5.

“However I received a call on October 3, followed by an email saying that as they had failed to submit this wording to their calligraphers to prepare the entry to go into the book it would not now be possible to do so until October 5 next year.”

After facing these issues, John was told later in October that the team at the crematorium have prepared the inscription, which is due to go into The Book of Remembrance.

Despite this, John wanted to highlight the ongoing issues as he said he was aware other families have been having similar problems.

He said: “I do think that the personnel at Oakley Woods should be taken to task for their sheer incompetence.

"Apparently a total of 10 local families did not get the relevant entries for their loved ones in the crematorium Book of Remembrance on the dates they had paid for, in my case five lines costing £175 for which I gave six months’ notice.

“Oakley Woods are now saying the missing inscription for my wife will now be entered in the Book of Remembrance 'as early as possible in the New Year' instead of October 5 2023 (the second anniversary of her death.

“But I am still concerned as to why no disciplinary action has not been taken against the person or persons responsible for such an appalling omission.”

A spokesperson from Warwick District Council said: “Warwick District Council apologises unreservedly for the administrative error which has led to the omission of some entries into the Oakley Wood Crematorium Book of Remembrance and the distress and upset this has caused.

“As the entries and inscriptions are updated on a quarterly basis in a studio by a professional calligrapher and illustrator, to maintain the consistent high standards it would not have been possible to insert these while this volume (October to December) is still on display to the public.

“All those affected by this have been offered a card of remembrance inscribed by the calligrapher for their loved one, which they can choose to display at the Chapel of Remembrance or keep at home.

"The missing inscriptions will be added to the book at the earliest opportunity in the new year.

"The council is truly sorry to the clients who on this occasion we have let down.”