Maidstone Borough Council has donated £10,000 to Demelza Hospice Care for Children from its metal recycling scheme at the Vinters Park Crematorium.

After gaining written consent from families, the team at the crematorium recycle any replacement joints to raise money for charity.

Since joining the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management Metal Recycling Scheme in 2013, Maidstone has donated a total of £70,076 to bereavement-related charities.

Sharon Smith at Maidstone council said: “Thank you so much to all those bereaved families who have consented for orthopaedic implants such as knee and hip replacement joints to be removed from the ashes. It is making a huge difference to our local charities.

“Following a cremation, any metals that are retrieved after consent are stored safely and collected from us quarterly.

"They are then taken to Sheffield for separation, sorting and smelting and a high percentage of the higher-grade cobalt steel is sent to two companies that manufacture new orthopaedic implants.

Any lower graded metal is recycled traditionally.

“Our donations started out as £5,000, then £8,000 and this is the first one for £10,000.”

Victoria Adley at Demelza Hospice Care for Children said: "This donation has come at a time when many charities, Demelza included, are facing a loss in income.

"We are reliant on our local community more than ever to help raise the money that keeps our hospices going, providing vital end-of-life care to children, and supporting their families.

"This donation could cover the cost of 50 families going through the referral process to access our services or pay for over 900 hours of care from one of our healthcare professionals."

Other charities to have benefited since 2013 include the Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, Winston’s Wish, Beating Bowel Cancer, Sands, Slide Away, Breast Cancer, Cruse Bereavement Care and Heart of Kent Hospice.

For more information on the recycling scheme, click here .

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