Shropshire Star

Families' anger over Shrewsbury baby ashes

The leader of an action group demanding answers over missing baby ashes said he believes families are still being told there are no remains of their children after cremation in Shrewsbury.

Published
Emstrey Crematorium in Shrewsbury

Glen Perkins made the claim at a public meeting of Action For Ashes, where he voiced concerns over a delay in the start of an independent inquiry.

The inquiry, announced in June, will look into why families have not received ashes of babies from Emstrey Crematorium over the last 10 years.

Mr Perkins said the group was looking to appoint a committee in the next four weeks to fight to change legislation at crematoriums, councils, funeral directors and hospitals nationwide.

Mr Perkins and his wife Louise lost their four-month-old daughter Olivia in 2007 to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

But following cremation at Emstrey, they were not given any ashes.

Mr Perkins, 52, of Monkmoor, claimed he had found out that only one in 30 sets of ashes had been returned to families following the cremation of their children there.

Shropshire Council confirmed in June that an independent inquiry would be held into the crematorium's failure to return the ashes of dead babies to their families.

But Mr Perkins said last night: "We are still waiting for that inquiry to begin."

He read a text message from the council's area commissioner Tim Smith which said he hoped to have an update on when the inquiry would start in a fortnight. Mr Smith and Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, were invited to the meeting but did not attend.

Mr Perkins appealed for anyone who had been affected by the scandal to contact him via the Action For Ashes Facebook page or by emailing actionforashes@outlook.com The next meeting will be held at 7pm on November 1 at Shrewsbury Baptist Church.

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