Roucan Loch Crematorium

01/01/2026

New Year can be challenging for many people, particularly if you’ve recently lost a loved one.

Everyone is talking about fresh starts.
New goals.
New energy.
New chapters.

And you’re standing there thinking about who won’t be here to see it.

There’s a strange ache that comes with turning the page on a year that held so much love and loss at the same time.
Because part of you wants to move forward.
And part of you feels guilty for doing so.

You’re not just leaving a year behind.
You’re leaving the last one that still had them in it.

The last texts.
The last holidays.
The last ordinary days you didn’t know were “lasts.”

So if New Year’s feels quieter for you, heavier, or bittersweet, you’re not doing it wrong.
Grief doesn’t follow calendars.
It doesn’t reset at midnight.

It just comes with you.

And somehow, you learn to carry both.
The hope of what’s ahead
and the love you refuse to let go of.

Memories don’t get left behind with the old year.
They go with you into the next one.

28/12/2025

Walking at Roucan Loch Crematorium and Woodland Burial Site over the festive period, we were reminded of the saying that "Robins appear when loved ones are near." This comforting belief is rooted in folklore, and sees Robins as messengers bringing hope and a sign that our loved ones are watching over us and still with us in spirit. As our family approaches the first anniversary of Arthur Jardine's passing, our thoughts are with all families who have lost a loved one and we send comfort and support to those who need it most.
Mark and Ruth Jardine

25/12/2025

19/12/2025

Thank you to everyone who attended the Roucan Loch Christmas Memorial Service last night. We hope that it brought comfort and wish you a peaceful Christmas.

10/12/2025

Roucan Loch Crematorium has a very special ‘letters to a loved one’ post box within the Gardens of Remembrance. The post box helps remember those whom we have lost in a uniquely personal way, through writing letters, cards and messages and ‘posting them’. Every letter is treated with the utmost respect and confidentiality - it is never opened or read and will be interred in The Forest of Remembrance.
Crematorium Manager, Ruth Jardine, who devised the concept of posting letters to a loved one during the pandemic, recalls that the response was overwhelming. She said: “Grief is a very personal journey with no specific time limit. Having seen how our unique approach of helping people connect with their loved one can have such a positive impact, we have chosen to make the post box a permanent feature at Roucan Loch which is available to all, regardless of when their loved one passed away or where the funeral service took place. Recognising that Christmas can be a difficult time for many people as it magnifies feelings of loss and grief, but also reflecting that it can be a time to remember with gratitude the days shared with a loved one and to recall happy memories of times past, it is hoped that the act of writing down feelings and sharing thoughts on paper may bring some comfort to those bereaved.”

04/12/2025

We offer coffee with real beans in the Svalbard waiting room at Roucan Loch. Delicious hot chocolate too. All proceeds to charity.

01/12/2025

Last tickets remaining for the Christmas Memorial Service at Roucan Loch Crematorium on Thursday 18 December at 430pm - a very special service of music, poetry and reflection for those who have lost a loved one. The service will be followed by mulled wine and mince pies. This event is free but tickets are essential as places in the Roucan Loch Chapel are limited. Tickets can be collected from the Roucan Loch Office, Three Crowns Court, Dumfries, DG1 1HU (Monday- Friday 9am-4pm)

24/11/2025

Winter Wonderland ~ Roucan Loch Crematorium and Woodland Burial Site

20/11/2025

The view from Roucan Loch’s chapel - a beautiful frosty morning.

13/11/2025

Roucan Loch Crematorium is holding a very special Christmas Memorial Service of music, poetry and reflection for those who have lost a loved one on Thursday 18th December at 4.30pm. The service will be followed by mulled wine and mince pies. This event is free but tickets are essential as places in the Roucan Loch Chapel are limited. Tickets can be collected on a first come first served basis from the Roucan Loch Office, Three Crowns Court, Dumfries, DG1 1HU (Monday- Friday 9am-4pm)

09/11/2025

To help maintain Roucan Loch as “a natural place” and to protect our wildlife and unique environment, cut flowers (with no plastic covering) may only be placed in the non-personalised containers provided at the Memorial Lodge. Here, for your convenience there a water butt which collects rain water from the turf roof. We thank you for your understanding in helping to protect the natural environment of Roucan Loch, as our family of deer, badgers, rabbits, swans and ducks do not understand that plastic and other man-made objects are dangerous.

07/11/2025

Beautiful Dumfries and Galloway Calendar photographer Ruth Jardine displays the 2026 calendar. ALL proceeds go to The People’s Project Charity and are the charity’s only source of income. Calendars are only £6 and can be purchased from: