Funeral Help and Advice

A direct cremation is a valid, legal and increasingly popular alternative to a traditional funeral. This style of send-off separates the two parts of the funeral – the committal and the ceremony.

Simplicity
We carry out the cremation, offering the same level of care and respect as the best local funeral director, but without the fuss and the big black cars.

Low Cost
Our price reflects the very simple nature of our service. You can save 60% compared with the cost of a basic cremation service from a traditional undertaker.

Choice
We take care of the practicalities leaving you and your family free to decide where, when and how to say goodbye, and how much you want to spend. This offers the chance to create a truly personal send-off on your terms.

9 out of 10 direct cremations are unattended at Pure Cremation, which means there are no mourners present for a funeral service at the crematorium or at the cremation itself. Our experienced cremation technicians will carry out the process with utmost respect and without anyone present – whether that is family or friends.

Pure Cremation is proud to serve the whole of England and Wales from its base at Charlton Park Crematorium in Hampshire. We serve Scotland from our office in Hillington, near Glasgow.

We always send our own staff to look after each client, whether that’s on our doorstep or several hundred miles away. You will be given a realistic time of arrival and all the advice you need to know that your loved one is in good hands, right from the first phone call.

Unattended cremations for clients who pass away in England or Wales will take place at Charlton Park Crematorium. Attended cremations will take place at one of our carefully chosen partner venues.

Cremations for clients who pass away in Scotland will take place at Clyde Valley Crematorium.

As a direct cremation is normally unattended, the cremation will happen at our own state-of-the-art facility, Charlton Park Crematorium, near Andover.

If you choose to attend, up to 12 people can spend 20 minutes saying goodbye at our venue, Charlton Park Crematorium, with your choice of music - for an extra cost of £200. This is available at a time that suits you, including evenings and weekends.

However, you could also choose an attended committal at one of our carefully chosen venues at a 9am slot only. This may be closer to you, but we cannot guarantee it will be your local crematorium.

Yes. We do this quite often.

You have the right to change your mind, even if a local funeral home has already brought your loved one into their care.

Just tell the funeral director that you want to instruct Pure Cremation to take over. Ask what they are going to charge for the care delivered so far (we can add this to our bill to keep things simple for you).

We will work with the funeral director for a smooth and professional transfer of care.

Our sensible prices and payment options make this easier. We accept payments from multiple family members for cremations needed now.

Looking after your family comes first. If your loved one passes away at home, in a nursing home or hospice we will not ask for any money before we set out. We do require full payment before booking the cremation. In all other cases we ask for full payment before bringing your loved one into our care.

Payment methods:
Bank transfer – quick, secure and free. Our bank details are on the invoice so you can use on-line banking or take the invoice into a local branch. Remember it is perfectly proper to use funds from the deceased’s account to pay for their funeral.

Card payment – we accept all major credit cards and of course you can pay by debit card.

Funeral plans – we are happy to accept plans from a wide range of providers, as well as Pure Cremation clients. If your plan allows you to choose the funeral director we’ll do the rest. Please be aware that some plan values are very modest and may not cover the entire cost.

Social Fund Funeral Award from the DWP – we have a process in place to assist individuals who qualify for help with funeral costs, often without any deposit payment. Find out more on our Help & Advice page.

We do accept cheques but only if paid directly into our account via your local branch of HSBC. This is because the extra time to receive, handle and clear a cheque payment will affect the collection and cremation dates we can offer.

If you cannot afford a funeral and cannot get help from the DWP you have some options. In the case of a death in hospital you can ask the relevant NHS Trust to carry out the funeral, or in the case of a death in the community, contact the local Social Services team. There are also charities that may be able to assist.

Pure Cremation is registered with the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA), which was set up in 2002 to protect consumer interests in the UK funeral planning sector. It oversees the prepaid funeral plan industry and ensures that high standards of professionalism are met.

We also protect your money in other ways, depending on the type of funeral plan you have purchased:

Trust Based Plan

Just like other big funeral plan providers in the UK, we use a Trust to safeguard the funds needed to meet funeral expenses.

If you’ve opted for our Trust-Based plan, whether you’ve paid in a single lump sum or over a fixed number of instalments, then your money will be placed into a secure, independently managed Trust.

When the money is needed for a cremation, the Trust requires an invoice, proof of death and 2 Trustee signatures to allow the funds to be released to pay for it.

Over 50s Plan

When you buy an Over 50s Funeral Plan from Pure Cremation, we purchase a ‘whole of life’ policy from Scottish Friendly, one of the largest mutual life companies in the UK and they have been around since 1862. The Pure Cremation Funeral Plan is the beneficiary of the policy. Scottish Friendly is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by both the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulations Authority.

The Trust is the beneficiary of the policy.

We’re confident this won’t happen. But in this unlikely event, all plan funds and Scottish Friendly policies are assets of the Trust which is completely separate from the Pure Cremation business and is under the control of the independent Trustees. The Trustees will work with the Funeral Planning Authority and are under obligation to instruct a replacement funeral director to provide your funeral.

Furthermore, Scottish Friendly insurance policies are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

If you need to arrange a cremation now then you can call our team 24 hours a day 7 days a week on the number displayed. There is an online booking form if you aren’t ready to speak to us.

For General Enquiries, Account Enquiries and Pre-paid Plan information please call 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday or email info@purecremation.co.uk

We aim to book and complete the cremation within 14 days of instruction, but please let us know your particular requirements so we can offer the best advice and support.

We will book a cremation date once we have received payment, all the documents and have your loved one in our care.

We aim to hand deliver the ashes within 21 days of the cremation date unless you instruct otherwise.

Yes.

Although there will be no service of any kind, some families still wish to be present at the crematorium.

For an additional £200, up to 12 people can attend at our new Charlton Park Crematorium for 30 minutes at a time that suits you.

Or if you'd prefer somewhere closer, you can choose a 9am booking at the most convenient of our venues, for up to 12 people to have 15-20 minutes in the chapel.

This charge covers the cost of additional staff time and providing your selection of music.

Please contact us for details of the crematoria we use.

We provide each client with a simple solid pine, wooden coffin. This has been carefully chosen for strength, elegance and good eco-credentials.

Everyone is cremated in their individual coffin.

When a cremation takes place at our own crematorium the ashes are presented in our unique biodegradable container that comes with a smart photo wrapper and the ceramic token that was placed on the coffin prior to cremation.

The ashes are easily accessed for transfer into an alternative container or scattering. Alternatively, you can simply place the box in the ground.

When a cremation takes place at another crematorium the ashes will be presented in a smart box that can also be used for scattering, easy transfer to another container of your choice or simply interred in the ground.

In all cases each person we look after is allocated a unique identifying code and this is used throughout our care. The official cremation certificate from the crematorium is kept with the ashes at all times.

Any jewellery is carefully labelled, placed in a linen pouch and stored securely until delivery with the ashes takes place.

The ashes, cremation certificate and any jewellery are carefully placed into a soft cotton bag ready for safe return to each family.

If you are on qualifying benefits you may be able to get a Funeral Expenses Payment (known in Scotland as Funeral Expenses Assistance) from the DWP (Department of Work and Pensions). Please be aware that other factors may affect your ability to make a successful claim.

In England and Wales

The maximum award will cover the cremation fees + any doctors’ fees + £700 towards the funeral provider’s costs.

A similar amount is available in Scotland but more people qualify and the £700 towards funeral costs will be uplifted slightly each year from 2019.

We recommend you make your application by telephone as soon as possible on 0800 731 0469.

If you are eligible for help Pure Cremation will immediately provide the provisional date plus a full and final invoice that the DWP will need to begin processing your claim. Please note that, in order to protect you from incurring costs, we will not be able to begin looking after someone that has died in hospital until the DWP has confirmed that an award will actually be made, which could take up to 6 weeks. We may be able to move forward more quickly if you or a representative can provide a deposit. Naturally, this would be partially or fully refunded if you receive an award from the DWP. Our friendly team will be happy to discuss your situation in complete confidence.