LITERALLY any body is welcome to drop in at Bolton's latest tourist attractions . . .

The Co-op is opening the doors of its funeral homes in Bolton and Farnworth to show the public that their business is not as "grave" as many people may think.

Their branches at Crompton Chapel in Crompton Way, Bolton, and Albert Road in Farnworth, will give people an insight into what happens in the funeral business with behind the scenes tours to the general public.

Joe Bennett, manager at the Crompton Chapel branch, said: "Most people will not be involved in organising more than three funerals in their lifetime and as a result it is not something people feel they can openly talk about."

Mike Cuerden, manager of the Farnworth Co-op Funerals, added: "We have found people do have a lot of questions which they are afraid to ask, so by opening the funeral home for visits we hope we will be able to tackle the myths and mysteries of the funeral business."

Tours are available from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Please call the branches to make an appointment if you are interested in one of the tours.

The Bolton Co-op Funeral Home can be contacted on Bolton 307151 and Farnworth Funeral Home on Bolton 573280.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.