A grieving son was left devastated after his father's ashes were accidentally scattered more than 200 miles away from his late wife, destroying his chance of fulfilling the widower's final wish to be laid to rest beside her.
David Bishop, 60, had planned to collect the ashes of his father, John, 89, and lay him to rest alongside his late mother at Babworth Crematorium in Nottinghamshire.
Before his death, John had moved into a care home to be closer to his son following the death of his wife in June 2020. The couple had been described as 'joined at the hip'. At the end of April, John was admitted to hospital for routine checks but suffered a heart attack and died.
David arranged the funeral through Co-op Funeralcare because it had also organised his late wife's funeral, in keeping with his father's wishes. John wanted his funeral to take place in south Wales, but he had specifically asked for his ashes to be laid beside his wife in Nottinghamshire.
The funeral took place on May 26 and John was cremated at Gwent Crematorium, near Cwmbran, south Wales. Two weeks later, David decided he was ready to collect the ashes and carry out his father's wishes. Instead, he was told the ashes had already been scattered in the Garden of Remembrance because staff allegedly believed that had been the instruction from the funeral director.
Reflecting on the moment he was told, David said: 'I was thinking, am I really hearing this? How can this be? It just doesn't feel right. I'm still struggling to comprehend it.' Describing the incident, he added: 'It feels so empty that at the end of his life he has been treated so disrespectfully.'
David described his father as a lovely, colourful character who was well respected. His large beard meant many people saw him as a Father Christmas lookalike. Earlier in his life, John started as an apprentice in Cwmbran before rising through the ranks to become a mining engineer.
Gwent Crematorium had since apologised and told David an investigation would be carried out. David said: 'I'm assuming somebody's made a mistake somewhere, but nobody's admitted that yet. They've told me I have to wait until the investigation is finished, which will probably be next week.'
Now, David said he was unsure what steps he could take next and had been left feeling empty and helpless. 'I've probably been more emotional over the last two days than since his death because it's just not right. I just feel hurt that I can't do what I need to do,' he added.
A spokesperson for Co-op Funeralcare said its records showed the instructions provided to Gwent Crematorium 'reflected the wishes of our client'. 'We are deeply saddened to learn that our client's wishes were not followed and the understandable upset and distress this has caused, and we are continuing to support Mr Bishop and his family throughout,' it added.
A spokesperson for Newport City Council said an investigation was being carried out to 'find out how this happened to prevent it from happening again in the future'. 'We spoke to Mr Bishop yesterday but would like to apologise publicly to him and his family for what we recognise is a deeply upsetting situation,' it added.
