When arranging a funeral that will conclude with a burial, naturally, a grave will need to be prepared.

A single depth grave is a grave that has been prepared for one burial only. No further burials will be able to take place in a single depth grave.

A double depth grave is a grave that is prepared deep enough for two separate burials to take place in the same grave space. When the second interment takes place, the grave is re-opened. The coffin will be interred into the grave one above the other, not side by side.

We would always suggest that a double depth grave is prepared, even if you think that it’s unlikely that anyone would want to use the second space. Life can bring unforeseen changes and it’s better to keep all options open, just in case. There is often no difference in cost for either option.

In some cemeteries, graves can be prepared much deeper and can sometimes accommodate four or five interments, but this is a rarity nowadays and clarification before you make any assumptions should always be sought from the relevant authority.

When a grave has no room for any further interments, most cemeteries and churchyards will allow interments of ashes to take place in the grave space but again, it’s always worth checking that this is possible before you make any firm plans.
We won’t call you to advise when they are with us unless you particularly request that we do so. We find most families prefer to contact us to discuss this when they are ready and unless we have arranged for them to be placed into an alternative casket, ashes are returned to us in a small cardboard box.

There is no rush to collect the ashes from us. We have been known to keep hold of ashes for many years, however we do encourage people to collect ashes or make the arrangements for them to be interred within 6 months from the date of the funeral.

There is no charge for us to hold the ashes.

Please ensure you bring a valid form of photo ID when you come to collect the ashes. We’re very good at remembering all of our client families but it’s possible that you might meet someone from the team who you hadn’t met during the funeral arrangements and we need to make sure the person collecting them is authorised to do so.

We will only hand over ashes to our named client so if you plan on letting someone else from your family call in to collect them on your behalf, you will need to let us know in advance.

Please don’t be offended if we find ourselves in a position where we can’t hand over the ashes because we haven’t been given the correct authorisation. We have to be very careful when it comes to these matters to ensure we remain neutral in any possible family conflict.

You may have arranged to collect the ashes directly from the crematorium. You will need an appointment to do so. Please contact the crematorium in advance and take photo ID with you when you attend. Ashes will be ready to collect usually from the next working day after the funeral.

What happens ‘behind the scenes’ has always been shrouded in mystery and as a result of this, many falsehoods and rumours have circulated about how things work at a crematorium.

Please be assured that the ashes you receive back are always the entire ashes of your loved one. Every crematorium adheres to a strict code of conduct as established by the Federation of Cremation and Burial Authorities. Each coffin is cremated separately from others in an individual cremation chamber. The identification process of each coffin and subsequent cremated remains is extremely strict and once they have been returned to us by the crematorium, there are no less than 2 labels and a printed certificate which identify the name of the deceased.

We are not affiliated with any crematorium and as such, our team would soon report any suspected breach of this code immediately.

Once the ashes are in our care, we log which of our offices they have been taken to on our computer system. When someone attends to collect someone’s ashes from us, we check the labels and certificates and note when they collected from us and by whom.

The main thing to remember is that there is absolutely no reason why anyone’s ashes would be swapped or mixed with anyone else’s ashes. The staff at all of our local crematoria are diligent and respectful and in both our professional and personal opinion, you can be assured that the procedures are exactly as you would expect them to be.

In many respects, this depends on the structure of the funeral you have chosen.

Many cremation funerals begin with a service, which may be religious or non religious. This can take place in a church, chapel or another venue before travelling on to the crematorium, or it can be held in the crematorium chapel itself.

If you are making your own way to the funeral, it is important to allow plenty of time, as crematoria have to keep closely to the time allocated for each service. If you are concerned about arriving on time, you may wish to consider travelling in one of our limousines.

Traditionally, close family members follow behind the coffin as it is taken into the chapel, but, like much of the funeral, this is entirely your choice.

At the appropriate point in the service, the committal will take place. Depending on the crematorium, the coffin may either descend from sight or be concealed by a curtain closing. Alternatively, if you prefer, the coffin can remain on view.

The coffin does not enter the cremator straight away. This usually takes place within around half an hour of the service, depending on the crematorium. Each cremation is carried out individually and in accordance with strict regulations. Some people worry that the correct ashes may not be returned, but thorough procedures are in place to ensure that the ashes can always be properly identified.

At the close of the service, the funeral director will lead you out of the chapel to where the floral tributes have been placed. You will then have the opportunity to meet with relatives and friends before going home or on to a venue for refreshments.

For more information about what happens at a cremation, or if you have a question about the customs at a particular crematorium, please contact one of our team.

The straight forward answer to this is yes, you can certainly split the ashes and of course, we would be happy to help facilitate this if you didn’t want to do it yourself.

You will need to consider what container is used for the split portion of the ashes. We can provide a wide variety of miniature urns, bags and boxes but perhaps you have something more personal in mind? We’ve been known to put ashes into all manner of containers over the years, ranging from jam jars to plant pots!

We will always advise that you think carefully beforehand and talk to other people in your family about doing this. Some people are uneasy about the idea and it would be prudent to have full agreement from all those who would need to be involved in this kind of decision in advance.

If your intention is to inter the ashes into a Church of England churchyard, although it isn’t prohibited by the church, it is generally encouraged that someone’s ashes are not split in advance and are in interred into the churchyard as one. We have found clergy to be open to discussion about this matter. A quick call to your local vicar should clarify their position on this.