Audlem villagers could be freeze dried!

Dead bodies in Audlem could soon be freeze-dried instead of cremated as part of a new eco-friendly bid to reduce mercury emissions. Audlem Parish Council heard of the plans last week after Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council expressed an interest in using the technique. Called promession, it has been developed in Sweden and could be introduced here next year.

Parish councillors, Richard Furber and Mike Hill, have been invited to find out more at a meeting with C&NBC where inventor Susanne Wiighe-Masak will speak on the subject. For those interested in the process, promession involves freezing the body and coffin to -18C and then dipping them in liquid nitrogen at -196C, which makes them, hardly surpisingly, very brittle. After being gently shaken, they disintegrate into an organic powder, which is buried in a biodegradable box and becomes compost after 6 to 12 months. Relatives can then plant a tree on the shallow grave as a symbol of their loved one.

The alternative, which it has to say sounds ever more attractive, is to be buried in one of the most beautiful and best kept cemeteries in the country. Call the Audlem Burials Board on 01270 812125 and book a plot in Audlem cemetery right now.

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