Distinct Cremations

Distinct Cremations: direct cremations and simple funerals in the UK

Distinct Cremations is a British funeral services company that offers direct cremations and simple funerals, as well as prepaid funeral plans. It is part of the Westerleigh Group and operates a network of 42 crematoriums across the island of Great Britain. The company reports more than 76,000 cremations a year and over 30 years of service in the sector.

Cremation services and funerals

The company offers two main ways to arrange a service. On the one hand, it organises a funeral for a person who has died or is in the final stages of life, with a cost indicated from £1,350. In this case, the team is available 24 hours a day, transfers the deceased to its professional mortuary and takes care of preparation for cremation, as well as the necessary paperwork and arrangements. On the other hand, it offers prepaid funeral plans from £1,795, which allow the conditions and cost to be fixed in advance.

Among the funeral options, the site distinguishes between a service with family and friends present at the crematorium and a direct cremation without a ceremony, after which loved ones can hold a farewell event on the date and at the place of their choosing. For the service with a ceremony, the client can choose a duration of 30 or 60 minutes and decide whether the service is led by family and friends or by a celebrant or officiant.

Prepaid funeral plans

The company offers two types of plan: the Direct Cremation Plan and the Funeral Service Plan. Both are presented as a way to protect your money and avoid medical questions, with guaranteed acceptance. The site states that direct cremation plan prices were rising on 1 October and that buying in advance allowed a saving of £200. The company also publishes a free funeral planning guide and allows you to request a quote online.

Personalisation and handling of ashes

The service allows the farewell to be personalised. As for the ashes, the company offers to return them personally to the client or a family member within 14 days of the cremation, or to scatter them in its Garden of Remembrance. It also has a range of caskets, urns and scattering tubes, including the option of keeping small amounts in a keepsake object. The person responsible for arranging the funeral can discuss these alternatives with the client.

Crematorium network and coverage

Distinct Cremations carries out cremations at its own crematoriums, which it describes as peaceful spaces, and maintains an open-door policy for visiting them before or after the service. The company has 42 crematoriums on the island of Great Britain and allows you to find the nearest one by entering a postcode or a town. Among the facilities mentioned is Babworth Crematorium.

Customer care and arrangement process

The company assigns a dedicated funeral arranger to each case and offers telephone support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The process begins with a call to start the arrangements; afterwards, the team transfers the deceased to its mortuary in a private ambulance. The company also provides an online questionnaire to guide the user on the type of funeral, attendance by family and friends, the duration of the service and who leads it, and provides an instant quote. For questions about instalment payments, the site refers to a customer service phone number.