Bereaved families in Salford have helped raise more than £140,000 for local charities over the past eight years through a little-known recycling scheme linked to cremations.
The money has been generated by recycling metals recovered after cremations, including coffin fittings and medical implants such as hip and knee replacements, which are collected only with the full consent of families.
The materials are then processed through a national initiative run by the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, with proceeds returned to support local causes.
Salford City Council thanked them by presenting a £10,000 cheque from the scheme to NorthCare Charity, which supports patients, families and NHS staff across Salford, Bury, Oldham and Rochdale through the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.
The donation will be used specifically to support palliative, end-of-life and bereavement services.
Councillor Barbara Bentham, Salford’s lead member for neighbourhoods, environment and community safety, said the scheme relies entirely on the goodwill of families at a difficult moment. She said the visit to Salford Royal Hospital to see how the money would be used was “incredibly moving, and I shed a few tears.”
“Listening to the work they do to ensure families spending the final hours with their loved ones feel as comfortable and supported as possible was deeply emotional,” Coun Bentham explained.
NorthCare’s services include support for families staying with relatives at the end of life, as well as practical items such as comfort packs containing toiletries and writing materials.
Many of these are assembled by volunteers, including Girl Guides, who have helped put together around 20,000 comfort packs across the North West.
Councillor Gina Reynolds said the scale of community involvement had left a strong impression. “From bag-packing events to knitting groups making hearts, teddies and blankets, the support behind these services is extraordinary,” she said.
Jessica Bradford, a fundraising officer at NorthCare Charity, said the £10,000 donation would help fund “vital items and initiatives that will make a real and lasting difference” for patients and families receiving care at the end of life.
Since the scheme began in 2017, donations generated from recycled cremation metals in Salford have contributed £140,000 to charities, with council officers stressing participation is always optional and based on informed consent.
