About us

Family run, providing the best of care

Breckland Crematorium Ltd, is a family run business, owned and managed by Ray and Shirley Thornalley along with their son Andrew, daughter Rachel and son in law Nathan. The Thornalley family have been established in the funeral business since April 1981.

“We are a family business which is dedicated to upholding the traditional values of respect and dignity and to providing the very best of care for bereaved families”

The Breckland Crematorium team

Barry

A passionate musician and our resident organist who completed a BA in music as a mature student following a career in printing. Should you wish for live music from our Organ, Barry’s fingers will be found dancing on the keys.

Ann

Not often seen by our visitors, Ann makes sure the building is spotless everyday leaving no stone unturned as she makes her way around in the early hours leaving everything fresh and clean. Mum of three girls, Ann loves nothing more than spoiling her two grandchildren. At the weekend, she may be found dancing to some country and western music when the lights go down!

Tony

The face that welcomes you to our chapel, Tony ensures the chapel is ready for each service that takes place, making sure all the music and tributes are ready to play at the appropriate time. When not at work helping our funeral directors and officiants conduct their funerals Tony can be found building his model railway or walking Olive the Cockapoo.

Graham

Our senior gardener, Graham is a man of many talents designing, creating and nurturing the many plants, trees and flowers which make our gardens a beautiful and peaceful place to visit. Graham enjoys being outside in nature and long countryside walks when he is not gardening or growing vegetables.

Clover

The newest member of our administration team, Clover’s kind and empathetic manner is a great comfort to all the bereaved families we are here for. Clover, another proud mum of two, is usually to be found at the stables with Max her much loved horse when she is not at work.

Juliette

The backbone of our administration team, Jules is the cheerful voice on the other end of the phone and loves to solve a problem with minimum fuss. When the workday is over Jules is kept busy with two teenage children, playing netball and loves getting away in the family camper van.

Polly

A valued member of our administration team with an eye for detail, Polly will be found in the office every morning industriously working through her tasks. Outside work Polly is a proud mum of two grown up children, and enjoys travelling all over the UK on holidays.

Mike

Our senior cremator technician, Mike is responsible for the operation, maintenance and cleanliness of our crematory, ensuring all our cremations are completed with dignity and respect. Mike is an animal lover with a collection of much-loved rescue dogs, pet spiders and a wonderful aviary.

Rachel

Looks after all things finance, Rachel ensures all our suppliers and employees are paid on time. Mum to 3 boys and 2 spaniels, Rachel is kept busy – however enjoys reading a good book with a cup of tea when no one is demanding her attention.

Nathan

Responsible for the day to day management of the business, Nathan is a hands on person and could be found anywhere in the business from the crematory, to the chapel, the gardens, the workshop or the office. Outside of work Nathan is an unashamed Land Rover enthusiast and can usually be found exploring the outdoors, playing hockey or participating in some kind of water sport.

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It has been a long held ambition of the Thornalley family to provide another Crematorium in Norfolk, and after many years considering various locations, an opportunity opened up to purchase land in Scoulton. Following that a period of design, planning and building took place and Breckland Crematorium was ready to open to the public on 1st July 2019.

The Crematorium is managed by Ray and Shirley’s daughter Rachel, together with her husband Nathan, who lead a dedicated team of staff who work with professionalism, kindness and understanding in order to assist those who are bereaved. Our team is trained to a high level of service to ensure that we give each and everyone a personal service that is second to none.

Facilities

The Chapel

Our peaceful, well equipped Chapel is a spacious room with seating for over 100 people.

The Flower Court

Our flower court is an oak-framed building, designed to hold and display floral tributes.

Memorial Gardens

We have a variety of memorials spread throughout our extensive Gardens of Remembrance.

The Chapel

Our peaceful, well equipped Chapel is a spacious room with seating for over 100 people.

The Flower Court

Our flower court is an oak-framed building, designed to hold and display floral tributes.

Memorial Gardens

We have a variety of memorials spread throughout our extensive Gardens of Remembrance.

Service Diary

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Gallery

Take a look around our crematorium

Memorials

We offer a variety of memorial options to help you create a lasting tribute to your loved ones. Our Sanctum Vaults accommodate up to two caskets with personalised granite plaques. For traditional interments, our gardens feature an area dedicated to the burial of cremated remains. Our granite memorial benches with engraved plaques are placed within the grounds and allow for one or two plaques. We also offer the option to have a metal leaf personalised and engraved, to then be placed on our unique Mulberry Memory Tree.

We provide personalised metal plaques in aluminium or bronze to be placed in our remembrance gardens or our wildflower meadow. Additionally, engraved dedicated plaques are available to be placed on the Barbican Memorial, and our Book of Remembrance features beautiful, calligraphed tributes in our peaceful garden room, ensuring lasting memories.