Direct Cremation Services.

If you have seen the fantastic day time TV advertising, and radio adverts selling the virtues of a direct cremation, then you may be considering that as an option for you or your loved one.  Did you know that we can offer the same service as is being advertised. Only we do it locally, and at a much lower cost? 

Our direct cremation is a very simple, unattended funeral service without any fuss and takes place at a local Crematorium. Although no family or friends are in attendance,  a direct cremation is still a dignified event, treated with as much care and respect as any other type of funeral.

Whether you want a direct cremation because it better reflects the character of the person whose life is being celebrated or as a cheaper alternative to a traditional funeral, our family are here to help.  

So how does this work?

We collect your loved one from either home or hospital and then bring them back to our local funeral home on Antrobus Street. We then arrange for all the necessary paperwork to be completed before we oversee the cremation. Following the cremation we then return their ashes back to your family. It’s dignified, respectful and more importantly, local. 

Our Direct Cremation service costs £1250 including all disbursements and cremation fees.  Normally, there will be no additional fees to pay.*

* Please note that where the deceased is over 24″ wide (measured across their elbows) it will be necessary to place them in an oversized coffin with an additionally strengthened floor.  There will be an unavoidable surcharge for the larger coffin as we have to source it direct from the manufacturer and have it shipped to our funeral home.

The negatives and some hard truths. 

It’s important to have all the information when making a balanced decision. As with all great ideas they are soon copied and with the rise of direct cremations, there has been an explosion of ‘online’ companies. These are mainly marketing companies or groups that privately own crematoria and want to take advantage of a new business opportunity.  Sadly like all businesses who exist purely to make profit, with efficiency driving everything, there has to be someway of maximising earnings.  If you dive much deeper into these web sites, you will notice that none of them are members of the National Association of Funeral Directors.  Therefore none of them have demonstrated any level of professional care towards either their clients, or more importantly, the deceased. 

Despite very family orientated web sites, fantastic day time TV advertising, and radio adverts selling the virtues of their services and the money they can save you on an ‘impersonal rushed cremation’.  The reality is somewhat different.  The deceased are treated as commodities and are often transported across many counties, to central warehouses. These are often housed within Industrial estates, or worse still in the cold rooms at the back of crematoria. The deceased are then loaded up onto waggons or vans and shipped around the country to various crematoria.  Although it’s an impressive logistical feat, as a professional N.A.F.D regulated funeral company this makes us feel very uncomfortable.  We certainly wouldn’t want our clients treated like products.  There is no transparency, and no accountability.  Ask yourself, this question. ‘Would you want your mum shipped up and down the country like a DHL parcel’? Despite wonderful multi-million pound marketing campaigns, the fact is that the deceased are not commodities, they are people. 

The other thing to look out for is pricing.  As with all competitive markets the ‘online’ companies want you to believe their price is better than anyone else’s.  Which is why they display prices as ‘from’.  We have seen additional fees for collection of the deceased from a home address and even the return of ashes. Another point which is not discussed is the increasingly common problem of people getting much bigger.  The ‘online’ companies won’t tell you that if the deceased is a large person and will not fit into a standard coffin, there will be a surcharge to pay.  The surcharge could well be over £600.  Before you know it, you have spent significantly more money than that low price they were advertising. 

So our advice, as with all things is to do your research and ask your questions.  Direct Cremations are a great idea and work so well for many families.  But chose your provider carefully.  Because not all levels of service are the same.  Be sure to chose a regulated N.A.F.D member company. Whether you want a direct cremation because it better reflects the character of the person whose life is being celebrated or as a cheaper alternative to a traditional funeral, then our family is here to help.