Direct cremation has become one of the most talked-about options in the funeral world, helped along by a lot of television advertising. It is a genuinely good choice for many families — but it is worth understanding what you are actually buying, and who you are buying it from.
What is a direct cremation?
A direct cremation is a cremation without a funeral service. There is no ceremony at the crematorium, no mourners in attendance, and no hearse procession. Your loved one is brought into our care, cared for until the cremation, taken to the crematorium, and the ashes are returned to you afterwards.
It is the simplest and lowest-cost option available, and it removes the pressure of organising a formal event at a point when a family may not have the energy for one.
Who chooses it, and why
In our experience families choose direct cremation for several very different reasons:
- It was what the person wanted. A lot of people simply do not want a fuss made, and say so clearly in advance.
- Cost. It is significantly cheaper than a traditional funeral, and for families under financial pressure that matters.
- Family is scattered. When relatives live abroad or far away.
- They want to say goodbye differently. Many families hold a memorial gathering later, at a time and place of their choosing, without the constraints of a crematorium time slot.
The thing worth watching out for
Some of the large national direct cremation companies operate on a call-centre model. Your loved one may be collected by a subcontractor, transported a considerable distance to a central facility, and cremated somewhere you have never heard of, many miles from home. The ashes then come back by courier.
For some families that genuinely does not matter, and that is a perfectly valid view. For others, discovering it after the fact is upsetting. It is worth simply asking the question: where will the cremation actually take place, and who will be handling my relative?
How we do it
Our direct cremation is a local service. We bring your loved one into our care ourselves, we use a local crematorium, and Robert oversees every arrangement personally. There is no call centre and no subcontracting.
We will also meet you in your own home to make the arrangements if you would like — something the national providers do not offer.
You can still mark the occasion
Choosing a direct cremation does not mean there is no goodbye. Many families hold a gathering at home, a service of thanksgiving at a church weeks later, or a scattering of the ashes somewhere meaningful. We are happy to help with any of that.
We also work with The Malt Shovel at Harden to hold family events either before or after the cremation. See elsewhere on our website.
If you would like to talk it through, call Robert on 07599 46 26 49, or see our direct cremation page for what is included and the current price.