TOP FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DIRECT CREMATION

The rising cost of funerals and increased demand from mourners for a better way to approach planning a loved ones’ funeral has led to a soar in the popularity of direct cremations in recent years.

A virtually unknown concept in the UK just five years ago, an estimated 2,000 people per year in the UK alone are now opting for this service.

Catherine Powell, Customer Experience Director at Pure Cremation – believed to be the UK’s only dedicated direct cremation service provider -  said the service is hugely popular in America, with the most notable direct cremations in recent months being David Bowie and Prince, and is fast growing in the UK where families are recognising it as a liberating and affordable alternative to a funeral.

Catherine said: “There’s much more to this choice than cost – although this is an important factor. Whereas an average funeral these days costs £3,600 a direct cremation is barely above £1,000.

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MARKET LEADING DIRECT CREMATIONS SERVICE CELEBRATES SUCCESSFUL FIRST YEAR

Number of Direct Cremations Set to Rise by Over 400% Percent in 2017

Pure Cremation, the UK’s first totally dedicated independent direct cremations service, is celebrating a successful first year in business predicting an increase of over 400% per cent in the number of direct cremations carried out in their first 12 months.

Direct cremation is a service for which demand is on the increase and the owners are confident that if they continue to grow at the current rate they will achieve their target of providing 12,000 direct cremations a year within the next five years.

Launched by leading funeral industry expert, Bryan Powell together with his wife Catherine, the family owned business has already set the standard for competitively priced direct cremations in the UK under its Pure Cremation banner, handling 450 direct cremations in 2015/16 as well as selling more than 200 funeral plans in the first half of 2016.

The trend in direct cremations is also growing considerably internationally.  In the US there has been a huge step change from 91% burials to cremation, with direct cremations now accounting for 30% of the whole market.  Australia and Japan have also seen similar take up of direct cremations.

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TOP TEN REASONS TO CHOOSE A DIRECT CREMATION FOR A LOVED ONE

Planning a funeral for a loved one is not easy – particularly if the arrangements had not already been discussed and the deceased had made no express wishes on their preferences.

It’s a well-known fact that Britain as a nation is one which struggles to face its own mortality, when compared with other countries. As a result the bereaved – on top of the shock and grief which comes naturally with death – are faced with endless decisions trying to second guess our preferences for our farewells.

In addition they are faced with the spiralling cost of funerals which – according to insurer SunLife’s 2016 Cost of Dying report - continue to rise at almost 10 times the rate of inflation and also outstrip salary and pension increases.

It is no surprise that as a result many of us do not get to receive the farewell we had hoped for as our families struggle to raise the cash to fund our funerals, whilst not even sure they’ve organised the funeral we’d have planned for ourselves in the first place. 

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CHANGING ATTITUDES DRIVES GROWTH IN DIRECT CREMATIONS

Pure Cremation reports an tripling in demand in past 12 months

Almost one year on since the untimely death of David Bowie, a direct cremations specialist has seen a marked rise in demand for a direct cremation service, the singer’s chosen wish, rather than a conventional funeral.

The music icon had wanted to ‘go without any fuss’ with no funeral, family or friends present - a sentiment which Newbury based Pure Cremation has found is becoming more and more prevalent over the past twelve months.

In the past year alone the number of direct cremations handled (managed) by Pure Cremation has increased by over 200% and the company expects this to rise by a further 300% in 2017.

Further research recently carried out by the Royal London National Funeral Index has revealed that 5% of consumers are now choosing to have a direct burial or cremation a figure which is believed will continue to rise.  In 2015 there were 529,655 deaths in the UK*.

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