Most people visit a crematorium at one time or another. It is reasonable to expect that the building is satisfactory and that the arrangements are conducted in as smooth a way as possible, especially considering the sad but inevitable circumstances in which we find ourselves there.
There will always be crematoria and most funerals are conducted in them and so we should pay attention to them. As many mourners are elderly and therefore quite likely to have defective hearing, this includes ensuring that the crematoria are fitted with induction loops. At present, I do not know of how many crematoria this is true.
My experience last week, appropriately enough on Ash Wednesday, is salutary. The funeral was being held at a Crematorium.
As is my practice, I arrived early mainly to be assured the the alleged induction loops worked. There are two Chapels there and beside the entrance to both was a clear notice announcing the presence of an induction loop. Aha!
I couldn't find the two operatives. I suspect they were hiding from me. However, I did find the 'resident' multi-denominational vicar and impressed on her the importance of the putative induction loops working.
She scurried off, returning to tell me that the woman in charge had declared that it was. I reminded the vicar of the dire consequences of telling porky pies especially in that location.
I asked her if she would begin her address by advising the audience that there was an induction loop installed and that those present should depress the T setting on their hearing aid, if they had one (or two) and they would find they would be able to hear well. I think this puzzled her.
Anyway, she never made the promised announcement...
If you wish to know what ensued, what I did about it and what you might do, you should read the next gripping instalment, available at all good undertakers....
