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Westerleigh Group has announced plans to open nine additional funeral sites featuring immersive technology throughout 2026.
News of the expansion follows the introduction of the format in 2024. The operator of cemeteries and crematoria has opened five of these locations in two years.
Seven existing crematoria will close briefly for equipment installation, while two new sites are currently under construction in Yorkshire and the North East. They are due to open with the technology in late 2026.
The venues will feature external welcome screens for photographs and internal wall projections, which will be coordinated with specific lighting and soundscapes to personalise funeral services for families.
The company opened its first digital venue in 2024 at Gedling Crematorium in Nottinghamshire. Further installations followed in 2025 at Basildon, East Lothian, Vale Royal, and Sedgemoor.
Upgrades are scheduled for Langstone Vale, Woollensbrook, Wessex Vale, Forest Park, Babworth, North Wiltshire, and West Berkshire. The two new developments are expected to open in November and December.
Debbie Smith, chief executive of Westerleigh Group, said: “We were delighted with the positive feedback we have received to our SuperVenues and quickly knew we had to make them more widely available.
“Families who have experienced our SuperVenues are consistently giving us the feedback that we have exceeded their expectations and they felt they had been able to give their loved one a farewell that was even more special than they ever imagined.”
She added: “At Westerleigh Group, we are passionate about providing families we support with exceptional care and service of the very highest standards. Feedback from the families that we’ve served gives us a tremendous sense of pride in our commitment to the bereaved and in the crematoria we operate.”
