New lakeside bereavement centre opens

A new lakeside bereavement centre has opened at a former sand and gravel quarry.

The Lake View Bereavement Centre in Mepal will provide facilities for people in East Cambridgeshire.

It includes a multi-faith chapel overlooking a lake, a natural burial meadow, memorial gardens, the Snowdrop Lodge for gatherings and wakes and a range of spaces.

Marisa Rogers-Jones, bereavement centre manager, said the facility was "unique", adding that it "offers families a peaceful place to remember, reflect and feel supported, both now and for years to come".

The centre, owned by East Cambridgeshire District Council will hold community events, remembrance activities and bereavement cafes.

The authority said the site has been carefully designed around existing natural features and includes habitat enhancements, wildflower meadows and woodland planting. It also has one of the country's few electric cremators.

Rogers-Jones said a team of five had been brought in to work at the centre.

"Equally, all of us feel very excited and happy to be standing here today opening what we can say is one of the most unique bereavement centres I believe in the UK," she added.

Anna Bailey, Conservative leader of the council said the opening was "emotional" and that the centre had a "fantastic team in place."

She added: "It's open 365 days a year for our residents to be able to come, walk around, spend time at the lake.

"From the very beginning, our ambition was to create something more than a crematorium."

Do you have a story suggestion for Cambridgeshire? Contact us below.

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.