More Barbadians are opting for cremations and the main facility will be full in 12 years.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of parent company, Ember Investment Corporation, Peter Griffith, said when Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens opened in Christ Church, they did 81 cremations.
“At this time, we are well over 250. We anticipate that we will finish with about 350 this year. That is closing in pretty fast on 16 per cent,” he said.
Barbados’ adult death rate stands at 2 200 per year, he added.
The funeral director suggested cost was a factor, noting “if you avoid [the church] service and just had a plain cremation it makes its slightly cheaper . . . If you have a family grave and you are going to have a service and [with] the body present, and you are going to have cremation after . . . it is about the same cost”. (ROG)
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