The simpler cremation service

Top questions about arranging a cremation

What is simple cremation?

Our simple cremation service (sometimes called ‘direct cremation’) is a cremation without a funeral service at the crematorium. This gives you the freedom to plan a more personal service that suits you and your family, not a funeral director.

Can I arrange a cremation without a funeral?

Yes, our simple cremation service allows you to arrange a cremation without a funeral or ceremony. You're then free to remember your loved one's life in a way that's right for you and your family. You could host an informal memorial service, scatter their ashes somewhere close to their heart, or you may simply choose to display their ashes in an urn at home.

How much does a cremation cost?

Our simple cremation service costs just £980. This covers everything from collecting your loved one to delivering their ashes to your door. If there are doctor’s fees to be paid or your loved one needs to be collected from their home, there may be additional costs of £164 and £414 respectively.

To put this in context, the average cremation in the UK costs around £3,250. This is because people often feel pressured into spending more when they use a funeral director. When given a choice of coffins, for example, people feel guilty choosing the cheapest option, so they end up spending more than they need to – and more than their loved one would have wanted.

Read our free guide about the cost of funerals in the UK here.

What can you do with the ashes after a cremation?

After a simple cremation, most people choose to display the ashes in a beautiful urn or scatter them in a place that meant something to the deceased. This could be their favourite beach, a park they walked through every day or the place where a close relative is buried.

If you're looking for something a little more unique, you could have a small amount of ashes turned into a jewel for a ring or pendant. Another option for the more theatrical types is to have the ashes turned into a memorial firework display.

Find out more about what you can do with the ashes after a cremation here.

What happens if I can't pay for a funeral?

If you don’t have enough money to pay for the funeral and receive benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support or House Benefit, you can seek help from the government’s Funeral Payment Scheme. Typically, this completely covers the cost of our cremation service, and we’re always happy to work with them to provide the right service for you. You can find out more about the Funeral Payment Scheme here.

Read our free guide for more information about what happens if you can't afford a funeral.

How does cremation work?

We collect your loved one from anywhere in England or Wales, working with doctors and nurses to deal with all the necessary paperwork. We then carry out an unattended cremation, which is a cremation without a funeral service or ceremony.

After taking care of the cremation, we arrange to deliver your loved one's ashes at a time that's convenient for you. Most people then choose to host a personal funeral or memorial with friends and family. You can then scatter the ashes or display them in your home.

You can find out more about what happens at a cremation here.

How do you track my loved one's ashes?

When your loved one is collected, they’ll be given a unique number on a physical tag. This tag will stay with them the whole way through the cremation process, so that we have 100% confidence that the right ashes will be returned to you.

How long does a cremation take?

We aim to carry out the cremation and deliver your loved one’s ashes to you within 2-3 weeks of receiving your completed paperwork. Once you have the ashes, you can host a personalised funeral or memorial that suits your budget.

The cremation itself takes between one to three hours. We’ll let you know as soon it’s complete, then we can arrange a convenient date and time for the ashes to be delivered to you.

What is next of kin?

Next of kin is a term used to describe your closest living relative or relatives. You may be asked to name someone as your next of kin if you’re in hospital, or if you’re taking part in an activity with a certain level of risk – such as a skydive or bungee jump.

In the event of someone’s death, next of kin may also be used to describe the person or people who stand to inherit the most. This is usually the spouse or civil partner, but it could also be their children or parents in certain circumstances.

You can find out more about next of kin here

What do you need to do when someone dies?

Losing a loved one is an incredibly difficult thing to go through, so we’ve created a free guide to help make things a little bit easier. You can see our guide on what to do when someone dies here.

Prefer to talk to a specialist about your situation? Give us a call on 020 3318 3029 – we're here from Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm to help.

Can I get time off work to deal with a bereavement?

If you've experienced a stillbirth after 24 weeks or the death of a child under 18, you're legally entitled to two weeks off work. This is known as Parental Bereavement Leave.

In all other cases, the amount of time off you can take depends entirely on your contract and company policy. On average, UK companies offer five days off, but there's no legal requirement to do so. To find out your company's policy, it's best to speak to them directly.

You can find out more about compassionate leave and bereavement leave here.

Can I arrange a funeral during the coronavirus lockdown?

As things stand, the UK government hasn’t put any laws in place that prevents funerals from going ahead. However, with strict social distancing rules in place across the country, there is a chance that this could change in the coming days and weeks.

If you’re planning a funeral during the coronavirus and want family and friends to attend, it’s important to think about relatives who could be putting themselves at risk. For this, you could ask your funeral director to set up a video stream so that anyone self-isolating can take part in the funeral remotely.

Can you delay a funeral until after the coronavirus lockdown?

If you still haven’t put plans in place for the funeral, you could delay things by arranging a direct cremation. This is where your loved one is collected from their place of death and taken to a crematorium to be cremated. Their ashes are then returned to you in a temporary urn.

Once the coronavirus lockdown has come to an end, you would then be able to arrange a personal memorial service with your family and friends – and you could also have your loved one’s ashes present if you wish.

You can find out more about how to delay a funeral here. Or, if you want to know more about arranging a direct cremation, please call us today on 020 8038 4356.

What is a humanist funeral service?

A humanist funeral service is a ceremony celebrating the life of someone who has died without mentioning a religion or god. This kind of service is often led by a humanist celebrant who guides guests through any readings and music.

You can find out more about humanist funeral services here.