A TEST Valley crematorium is now offering people the chance to have their loved one’s ashes scattered in space.

As part of Westerleigh Group, which has entered into a new partnership with Aura Flights, Test Valley Crematorium, in Romsey, has introduced two new options for scattering cremated remains.

The ‘Memorial Launch’ service, at £2950, involves ashes being placed inside a ‘scatter vessel’ which is fitted to a space-capable biodegradable balloon filled with renewable hydrogen gas.

The ashes are released in a gentle cascade around 100,000 feet above the earth and spend the next three-to-six months orbiting the globe until they re-enter the atmosphere, where they enter the formation of clouds and fall back to earth as raindrops and snowflakes all over the world.

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The ascent and release are captured on video to create a memorial for families to keep.

For the ‘Voyager’ package, costing £495, a ceremonial portion of ashes travels into space, to the same height as the scattering launch, before being returned to their families on Earth in a premium miniature urn.

Test Valley Crematorium manager, Robert Metcalf, said: “We are always looking to expand the range of memorial options available to the bereaved in order to give them the widest possible choice and help them to create uniquely personal memorials for their loved ones.

“Aura Flights offer something that is truly out of this world. For centuries, man has looked up at the stars and dreamed of going into space; while few of us ever get to do this during our lifetimes, there is now the option to travel into space for your final journey.

“Within days of the ashes being scattered, families will receive a personalised memorial video showing their loved one’s final journey among the stars.”

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General manager of Aura Flights, Samantha Richardson, said: “We're delighted to be partnering with Westerleigh Group to bring Aura Flights to an even bigger audience.

“From the moment we started talking about a collaboration, they saw how special a space scattering can be and their focus is always on supporting the bereaved throughout their journey, which I really admire.

“They have a wealth of experience in the industry, but they're also always looking for how to make things better - just like our team of engineers and explorers.”

To celebrate the launch of the partnership between Westerleigh Group and Aura Flights, the group’s 37 crematoriums, including Test Valley, are offering a 10 per cent discount for purchases made between July 3 and 31, regardless of where the funeral service took place.

For more information go to testvalleycrematorium.co.uk/ashes-in-space.