Funeral Options

Funeral Options

Traditional Funerals
The choice of a funeral is a very personal one and may be influenced by many factors, such a religion, family tradition, culture or life style. Each funeral is a personal & individual ceremony of your choosing.

Traditional funerals can be broadly divided between two formats:

  • Burial (Interment) in a churchyard or cemetery. Either preceded by a religious or Faith Service/Ceremony in church or chapel or with a Service taking place at the graveside.
  • Cremation at a crematorium of your choice. Either preceded by a religious or Faith Service/Ceremony in a Church or Chapel or with the Funeral Service/ceremony taking place at the crematorium. Another Service may follow this at a different location, either on the same day or at a later date in the form of a ‘memorial’, ‘thanks giving’ or ‘celebration of the life’ Service or ceremony.
Cremation
What to consider
The funeral service can be held at any crematorium of your choice, it does not necessarily have to be the closest to where the deceased lived or died. The most convenient for those wishing to attend or where a previous member of the family has been cremated may be used, or one you have attended before.

The full funeral Service can be held at the crematorium, or you may wish to hold a Service in church or another location before or after the crematorium Service.

There are strict time limits regarding the length of the service at all crematoria, although these vary from crematorium to crematorium, double length service times can be arranged. We will advise you of the Service times and options when you are making the initial arrangements.

You can use the services of a religious or faith leader to conduct the Service or those of a non-religious celebrant. Alternatively you can lead the service yourselves.

Cremated Remains
Consideration will have to be given at some stage to the final resting place of the Cremated Remains. There are various options this including:

  • The crematorium’s Garden of Remembrance
  • Burial or scattering in a churchyard or cemetery, either locally or anywhere in the UK or abroad.
  • A private scattering
A decision on the final Resting Place does not have to be made immediately. The crematorium or ourselves can hold the Cremated Remains until such time as that decision has been made. Generally the Cremated Remains are ready for collection 48 hours after the funeral, although special arrangements can be made if they are required sooner. It is our experience that this decision should be made as close to the actual funeral as possible, even if the arrangements are not carried out until a future date.

Jewellery
We will need instruction on whether any jewellery or personal items (i.e. wedding ring or watch etc) the deceased is wearing or has with them is to be left in place or removed. Personal items can be placed in the coffin but certain restrictions apply in the case of cremation.



Burial
The choice of a burial site is generally between a churchyard or a cemetery. However, cemeteries can vary in their description, ownership and ethos. From Municipal to Privately owned, Consecrated to Natural or Woodland burial sites or burial at sea to list just a few.

We can advise you on the options and help you choose the most appropriate location.

Churchyards
The availability of grave plots within churchyards are generally decreasing and new graves are normally only permitted if the deceased was a resident in the parish or if there is a family grave already in the churchyard.

Permission for carrying out a burial in a churchyard must be obtained from the incumbent (Minister) we will do this for you.

Fees for churchyard plots have increased dramatically in recent years and are often now more expensive than a cremation.

Cemeteries
Cemeteries vary in their governing authorities and ethos. Public cemeteries can either be local authority owned and run or owned by a private company or religious group.

All cemeteries have their own regulations and scale of fees. Some apply a higher level of fees if the deceased lived outside it’s particular boundaries. Cemetery fees are generally the most expensive of all types of burial sites and can run into thousands in some municipal cemeteries.

Grave plots
There are generally two types of grave plots in cemeteries:

Purchased: The Deeds of the plot can be purchased at the time of the first burial. This gives exclusive Rights to the owner (the named person on the Deeds) and only they or their representative can give permission for any subsequent burial. A memorial can also be erected on the grave in accordance with local regulations.

Un-purchased: This is also know as a ‘common’ grave. The exclusive rights have not been purchased and subsequent burials can take place in the same grave without permission of the family of the deceased already buried in it. Memorials are not allowed to be erected on these graves.

Religious Segregation
Cemeteries often segregate different religions and faiths. Some cemeteries are owned and operated by particular religious groups.

Alternative Burial Sites
Burial at sea
Woodland
Natural
Private land

Where ever in the Country or what ever style of burial plot you require we will make all the arrangements to meet your personal wishes.

Eco Funerals

Eco funeral are a popular alternative to Traditional funerals and allows the deceased or their family to choose an environmentally friendly form of funeral.

Funerals at these sites can either be religious or no religious. The services or ceremonies can take place at a church prior to attending the cemetery or be held in the meeting room on site or at the graveside.

Just because a eco funeral is chosen it does not mean a religious or faith service / ceremony cannot form part of the funeral.

Woodland & Natural Burial Sites

These funerals follow the format of a burial either in a woodland or natural burial site.  Here, all efforts are made to control the environmental impact  a burial may have on the planet.  Only materials that a biodegradable can be used either for the coffin, its furnishings and linings or  what the deceased can wear.  These graves are generally unmarked and the plot is allowed to blend back into its natural vegetation.  Most sites provide a facility to sponsor the planting of a tree natural to the area.

Non- Religious Ceremonies
There are alternatives to having a Christian or Faith funeral service. In all cases the service or ceremony are bespoke to your individual wishes and do not follow a set format. Non-religious ceremony lead by a Humanist
These services / ceremonies are led by a follower of the Humanist movement. Humanist believe there is no after life and that there no Divine Being. Each ceremony is tailored to you wishes with poems, readings and music

Non- religious ceremony led by a Civil Celebrant
These services / ceremonies are led by a qualified Civil Celebrant who may have a personal faith or believe but does not use this as a background to their services They will tailor the service/ceremony to your wishes and may include a prayer or hymn as well as poems, readings and music. The amount of religious content can be a little or as much as you wish but the service / ceremony does not follow any particular religion or faith format.

Service /ceremony led by a Family member or friend
These services/ ceremonies can take any format the family wish. The content and format may include contributions from members of family, music, reading or poems. We will help and guide through this process not only on the day but in it’s preparation.

Contact Us for more information