Direct Cremation
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A Direct Cremation differs from a Traditional Cremation in that there is no service during the funeral and there are no mourners in attendance. This does not stop the family from arranging a memorial or celebration-of-life event at a location and time of their choice.
The financial advantage of a Direct Cremation is considerable, saving over £1,500 on a Traditional Cremation. This allows you the financial freedom to arrange a memorial service at a venue of your choice while still keeping your budget well below the cost of a traditional cremation. We are very happy to help you arrange a minister or celebrant for such a memorial service should you wish.
Please note that our Direct Cremation, which is £1,655, includes everything that is required without hidden costs such as collection, return of ashes or removal of pacemakers or artificial limbs. We also bring your loved one into our care immediately and provide a full hearse for the cremation instead of a ‘Funeral Vehicle’ which is usually a van or estate car.
We also care for your loved one and arrange for the cremation locally rather than transporting them many miles away to a distant facility or crematorium.
Arriving in an elegant hearse and accompanied by our funeral staff the coffin will be placed with full honours in the chapel at Basildon Crematorium.
We will provide the same stately oak effect coffin that we use for Traditional Cremations.
A cremation requires certification by a medical Doctor, this fee is fully covered.
Immediate collection* of the deceased into our care where they will remain until the day of the cremation when they will be transported in an elegant hearse to Basildon Crematorium.
*see out of hours collection below
The deceased will be fully cared for and prepared appropriately for cremation at our mortuary facilities in Westcliff.
We will collect and care for the ashes which you can collect at your convenience from our office in Westcliff. You can also choose to have the ashes scattered in the Garden of Remembrance.
Please note, we can provide a half-way-house between a direct cremation and a traditional cremation. This is called a ‘Reflection Service’ and is available for an extra £550 (over the price of a direct cremation). This service would be at 9am and includes 10 minutes for the family in the chapel with the coffin for personal reflection and private goodbyes. The Reflection Service can be arranged at Southend and Basildon and does not include any minister or celebrant and no music is provided or played during the time in the chapel.
There are only two things that may be required that are not covered in our price. The first is an out-of-hours collection, i.e. a collection that does not happen between 9am and 4pm. This will not be relevant if the deceased has passed away in hospital, but if they have passed away at home, or in a care home or hospice, then an out-of-hours collection may be required. We only charge £180 for out of hours collection.
The second is if the deceased is over 20 stone in weight in which case we will require extra staff on the day. Within reason this will require two additional staff so the additional cost would usually be £120 for this.
So that you fully understand what a Direct Cremation is we have included the following list of things that are not included in a Direct Cremation.
If you are considering plans for your own funeral please see details of our pre-paid plans where you can order further information with a single click.