A family who have operated in the funeral directing service since 1850 are celebrating the opening of Flintshire's first crematorium.

The new £4m facility, Memoria, is set to open on Monday after a long legal battle with Flintshire funeral directors J E Davies and Son to provide the construction.

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With planning permission granted in 2016, and work commencing last July, the state-of-the-art building and grounds, situated on land near Kelsterton Lane and Oakenholt Lane, near Connah’s Quay, was welcomed by visitors, the funeral directing community and the clergy at an open afternoon on Thursday.

Contractors are still working on the outdoor area, but the white "sober and simple" interior is a step-up from St Asaph Crematorium, owned by the Oxford-based family company, which was set up in 2016.

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Jamieson Hodgson, business development director and head of planning at Memoria, told the Leader this exciting new venture comes as part of the family's sixth generation to be involved with funeral directing services.

He said: "Before St Asaph, there was no crematorium between Chester and Colwyn Bay, and people suffered. This locations means the people of Flintshire will have a much more accessible crematorium."

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Mr Hodgson took the Leader on the tour of the chapel, grounds, and into the furnace room, which is still under construction. The brand new room, which sits at the back of the chapel behind open or closed curtains, is part of a "clinical and hygienic" system, according to the director.

He added: "We want people to appreciate everything, and all of our staff have been selected from outside of the industry so we can train them how we want them to be trained.

"The garden has been designed so no one can ever look into the crematorium area, and we also have memorial gardens which are in total four acres."

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