SKIPTON Crematorium is embracing modern technology by offering secure webcasts of funeral services for absent relatives.

A new music system allowing funeral directors to order music online, has also been installed as part of £109,000 improvements.

Bereaved families can also order a DVD of the service and the Book of Remembrance now has an online copy, which can be viewed from all over the world.

The potential to record webcasts for funerals has been introduced to give relatives who are unable to attend the opportunity to watch the service on their PC via a secure network.

The new services will not come free though - the cost of a web cast is £74, with 30 days online access, and £55 for a DVD.

Cllr Carl Lis said incorporating modern technology helped the council meet the needs of the bereaved.

“More than ever before, families want to personalise their loved one’s funeral, and a wider music choice helps to achieve this," he said.

“The opportunity to follow a service online can be very comforting to those unable to attend a funeral in person.”

Both the Book of Remembrance Chapel and the Crematorium Chapel have been redecorated and the toilet facilities have been improved. The office is now located at the Crematorium Chapel with the Lodge being leased to a funeral director.

The Crematorium is also considering a range of other changes to the service, including providing more time at either side of the service to give mourners more time to arrive and leave.

The Book of Remembrance can be accessed online at remembrance-books.com/skipton/book-of-remembrance