SADLY as we get older we unfortunately attend more and more funerals of friends and relations.

Times have changed over the last few years when most services were held in a church where a large gathering could attend comfortably, and after, family and relations would proceed to a cremation or a burial.

These days the trend is more to have the service in a crematorium chapel which unfortunately have not moved with the times,

These chapels are now unable to cope with a large funeral and mourners are crammed in like sardines or having to stand outside in the cold.

In this day and age is this any way to have to pay your last respect to loved ones?

Darlington and Durham city crematoriums need to be updated to overcome this problem, meanwhile Wear Valley crematorium as being relativity new has certainly never foreseen this problem in the first place.

John Rusby, Bishop Auckland.