Our Current Service Options
Due to COVID-19 we have had to alter the way in which we provide our service and the choices we can offer. In spite of this though we still feel there are alternative ways to support you, and we are working hard to make them happen. We’ve included these in our pricing information below.
We are, as always, working to keep our fees as low as possible.
1 – Bespoke Funerals (our fees: £1,395)
2 – Simple Funerals (our fees: £1,695)
3 – Direct Cremations (our fees: £995)
Knowing your Costs
We’ve always believed that pricing for funerals should be clear and transparent, and this is true now more than ever. During your main arrangement conversation with us we will provide you with a clear estimate of the costs of the service that you require.
We are committed to providing affordable and transparent funerals and have signed the Fair Funerals pledge .
How are funeral costs calculated?
Funeral directors’ invoices are typically made up of a mix of funeral directors’ fees and third party costs, such as crematorium fees or minister / celebrant fees.
Third party costs vary which is why it’s hard to give a complete overview of costs without having a detailed conversation about your individual needs.
Our Payment Terms
We always ask for a deposit at the initial arrangement meeting. The deposit is essentially all of the third party costs that we know of at the time of arrangement plus 50% of the remaining known fees. Once we have talked through your requirements in detail we will be able to provide an estimate along with the required deposit amount.
The remaining amount due will be payable by the day of the funeral.
In the case of direct cremation we will ask for the entire fee to be paid at the time of arrangement.
We accept many methods of payment from cash, cheques, credit/debit cards and BACS payments.
Bespoke Funerals
The costs for a bespoke funeral are made up of three key elements:
1) Our professional fees (£1,395)
2) The choices you make to personalise your farewell (we will shortly be publishing an up to date price list which details current available options)
3) Third party costs / disbursements (crematoria / cemetery dependent)
Our fee covers the following:
- An initial meeting with you over the phone or by video call to discuss all your options, to get to know about the person who has died and how we can work to support you.
- Drawing up of a written funeral arrangement plan which we have agreed with you with clear and transparent pricing
- Collection of the person who has died during working hours Monday- Friday 8.30am-5.00pm, within a 20 mile radius from a healthcare environment. Additional miles are charged at £1/mile.*
- Washing, dressing and looking after the person who has died until the day of the funeral where possible.
- Our recommendations on suitable locations and suppliers.
- We will arrange to drop the paperwork at your home, or post it to you, and will help you to complete it correctly in order to complete the administration of the funeral.
- A unique webpage with funeral details and slideshow if required, for you to share information with friends and family. They will also be able to post comments and messages on here for you.
- Our care and attention throughout the process, including unlimited phone calls and additional virtual meetings.
- Since only a limited number of people are allowed to attend a ceremony at a crematorium or cemetery currently, we’d be happy to drive a route in the hearse which takes us past as many houses as possible in the hour before the scheduled funeral. Enabling family and friends to say a personal goodbye from their windows.
- Members of our team to support you on the day of the funeral at a single location. Due to the 2 metre social distancing unfortunately we cannot allow family bearers.
- Collection and delivery of ashes to you within a 20 mile radius.
- Access to SAIF Care bereavement support.
* Out-of-hours collection
- Our out of hours collection fee of £195 will apply for collections which need to take place between 5pm and 8.30am weekday nights and between 5pm Friday and 8.30am Monday morning. Bank holidays also count as out of hours. We have resumed collections again of people who have died in their home or nursing home, but there may be some instances where this is not currently possible.
Our experience has shown that no two funerals are ever the same.
There is always something slightly different that a family needs, and whilst the kinds of options open to us at the moment are more limited than usual there are still things we can do to say a fond farewell to the people we love.
Perhaps hiring an alternative hearse, such as a VW Campervan or Morris Minor Traveller will provide a little extra special personalisation. As with any other hearse we could pass by the doors of friends and family on our way to the crematorium or cemetery. More ideas are on our funeral vehicles page
If you can’t attend the crematorium or would like more people to join together with you to say goodbye, then we are working on an online interactive virtual ceremony which can include many people and will take place from the safety of all your own homes.
To provide an idea of the kinds of costs involved we have compiled a price list which takes into account current circumstances. This list contains a selection of the main items we can provide.
We have also compiled a price list for some of the coffins and urns which are available. Our approach has always been to source products and services from a wide range of suppliers so if the one you want is not available we can try to find something similar.
These lists only represent a selection of the products we can provide so please don’t feel constrained by them – we can look to source anything you would like.
Out of hours collection fees
Our out of hours collection fee is £195.
Out-of-hours are: Between 5.00pm and 8.30am on weekdays. Weekends between 5.00pm on a Friday and 8.30am on a Monday. Bank holidays between 5.00pm on a Friday and 8.30am on a Tuesday.
The following third party costs (disbursements) are not included in our fee
Cremation related fees
- One doctor’s certificate: currently £82. There are instances where this is not required and the death has been referred to the coroner.
- Crematorium fees. These can range from £500-1000 for a single slot
- Where ashes need to be sent out of town a courier fee will apply. This cost will not be applicable if you wish to collect the ashes from us yourself.
Burial costs
- Natural Burial fees start from around £1,200 depending on the location – this includes the cost of the plot and interment (grave digging) fee.
- Fees for burial in a traditional cemetery start from around £2928 in Birmingham (£1650 in Redditch) where a plot needs to be purchased. The price will be less if a plot has been pre-purchased. These prices will vary for residents and non-residents.
Generally the fee for burial is split into plot, interment and the cost of any plaque / memorial. So even if you have pre-bought a plot, interment fees will still apply.
If the grave is already in existence there will be a fee to remove and store the stone for up to 6 months while the ground settles. There may also be a re-fixing fee, on top of any additional engraving required and possibly also a re-turfing fee from the cemetery.
Celebrant / Minister costs
These vary but start from around £200.
A celebrant building a very bespoke service may charge more, especially if the time needed on the day is longer than an average slot at the crematorium. Getting this part of the ceremony right can be crucial, so finding the right person to represent you and the person who has died, as well as crafting an appropriate ceremony can be a valuable focus.
They will gather thoughts and memories from friends and families and craft these together to form the service and eulogies. They will then act as host and speak during the ceremony. They carry out a fabulous service but it is possible for families to do this themselves.
Simple Funerals
Our simple funeral includes everything you need to carry out a lower cost and personal funeral at a single location. Our fees are £1695.
You choose the time and date; hearse and coffin is included.
Third party costs / disbursements (crematoria / cemetery dependent) will be additional
Our fee covers the following:
- An initial meeting with you over the phone or by video call to discuss all your options, to get to know about the person who has died and how we can work to support you.
- Drawing up of a written funeral arrangement plan which we have agreed with you with clear and transparent pricing
- Collection of the person who has died during working hours Monday- Friday 8.30am-5.00pm, within a 20 mile radius from a healthcare environment. Additional miles are charged at £1/mile.*
- Washing, dressing and looking after the person who has died until the day of the funeral where possible.
- A manila (brown) cardboard or oak veneer coffin (there is a £40 supplement if you would like white cardboard or a shroud). Coffin choices may be dependent upon supply, we will do our best to supply your choice.
- Use of one of our white cars as the hearse.
- Our recommendations on suitable locations and suppliers.
- We will arrange to drop the paperwork at your home, or post it to you, and will help you to complete it correctly in order to complete the administration of the funeral.
- A unique webpage with funeral details and slideshow if required, for you to share information with friends and family. They will also be able to post comments and messages on here for you.
- Our care and attention throughout the process, including unlimited phone calls and additional virtual meetings.
- Since only a limited number of people are allowed to attend a ceremony at a crematorium or cemetery currently, we’d be happy to drive a route in the hearse which takes us past as many houses as possible in the hour before the scheduled funeral. Enabling family and friends to say a personal goodbye from their windows.
- Members of our team to support you on the day of the funeral at a single location. Due to the 2 metre social distancing unfortunately we cannot allow family bearers.
- Collection and delivery of ashes to you within a 20 mile radius.
- Access to SAIF Care bereavement support.
* Out-of-hours collection
- Our out of hours collection fee of £195 will apply for collections which need to take place between 5pm and 8.30am weekday nights and between 5pm Friday and 8.30am Monday morning. Bank holidays also count as out of hours. We have resumed collections again of people who have died in their home or nursing home, but there may be some instances where this is not currently possible.
We include a simple standard sized coffin in our fee. Choose from either: locally made oak veneer, manila cardboard ( £40 supplement for white cardboard or a shroud).
Oak Veneer
Manila Cardboard
Shroud
The following third party costs (disbursements) are not included in our fee
Out of hours collection fees
Our out of hours collection fee is £195.
Out-of-hours are: Between 5.00pm and 8.30am on weekdays. Weekends between 5.00pm on a Friday and 8.30am on a Monday. Bank holidays between 5.00pm on a Friday and 8.30am on a Tuesday.
Cremation related fees
- One doctor’s certificate: currently £82. There are instances where these are not required and the death has been referred to the coroner.
- Crematorium fees. These can range from £500-1000 for a single slot
- Where ashes need to be sent out of town a courier fee will apply. This cost will not be applicable if you wish to collect the ashes from us yourself.
Burial costs
- Natural Burial fees start from around £1,200 depending on the location (this includes the cost of the plot and interment fee)
- Fees for burial in a traditional cemetery start from around £2928 in Birmingham (£1650 in Redditch) where a plot needs to be purchased. The price will be less if a plot has been pre-purchased. These prices will vary for residents and non-residents.
Generally the fee for burial is split into plot, interment and the cost of any plaque / memorial. So even if you have pre-bought a plot interment fees will still apply.
If the grave is already in existence there will be a fee to remove and store the stone for up to 6 months while the ground settles. There may also be a re-fixing fee, on top of any additional engraving required and possibly also a re-turfing fee from the cemetery.
Celebrant / Minister costs
These vary but start from around £200.
A celebrant building a very bespoke service may charge more, especially if the time needed on the day is longer than an average slot at the crematorium. Getting this part of the ceremony right can be crucial, so finding the right person to represent you and the person who has died, as well as crafting an appropriate ceremony can be a valuable focus.
They will gather thoughts and memories from friends and families and craft these together to form the service and eulogies. They will then act as host and speak during the ceremony.
They carry out a fabulous service but it is possible for families to do this themselves.
Other items you might want
Other items such as flowers and orders of service will be an additional cost. These can be done very simply, or not at all – it isn’t necessary to have all these things.
Direct Cremation
A direct cremation is a simple and respectful way of arranging a cremation without a funeral. We take care of the practical aspects of the cremation and you and your family can remember the person who has died at a time and place that suits you.
The costs are lower because we choose the time, location and date.
There is no funeral service and family do not attend.
Our fee for a direct cremation is £995 plus cremation fee.
We would normally include the actual cremation fee within the direct cremation cost – but because of the current unpredictable environment, we can’t guarantee that the crematoria slots and prices that we normally use will be available.
We will however endeavour to find you the lowest cost cremation slot which is available.
Our fee includes:
- Collection of the person who has died during working hours * (Monday-Friday 8.30am-5pm) within a 20 mile radius from a healthcare environment. Additional miles are charged at £1 per mile.
- Care of the person who has died until the day of the cremation.
- All paperwork and administration
- Transportation to the crematorium of our choice
- A standard sized coffin
- A simple ashes cremation container (or choose another container for an additional fee)
- Return of the ashes to you within a 20 mile radius.
- Access to SAIF Care bereavement support.
* Out-of-hours collection fee
- Our out of hours collection fee of £195 will apply for collections which need to take place between 5pm and 8.30am weekday nights and between 5pm Friday and 8.30am Monday morning. Bank holidays also count as out of hours. We have resumed collections again of people who have died in their home or nursing home, but there may be some instances where this is not currently possible.
One Doctor’s cremation certificate is not included: currently £82.
There are instances where the death has been referred to the coroner and so these are not required.
Out of hours collection from a nursing home is £195.
Out-of-hours are: Between 5.00pm and 8.30am on weekdays. Weekends between 5.00pm on a Friday and 8.30am on a Monday. Bank holidays between 5.00pm on a Friday and 8.30am on a Tuesday.
We can offer additional services to the Direct Cremation if required: Washing and dressing £95, Virtual visiting of the person who has died £95, Webpage to notify people of what is taking place £15.
We are currently working on an online interactive virtual ceremony which can include many people and can take the place of the service normally held in a chapel. Details and cost still to come.
Although this is a low cost option, we work with the same amount of care and respect for the person who as died as with any other funeral that we arrange.
The costs are kept low because we choose the date and time of the cremation to suit our diary, there is no funeral service at the crematorium and family will not be able to attend.
Download our Price List
Coffins
Additional Products & Services
Payment
Due to the level of disbursements (payments to crematoria or cemeteries) that have to be paid quickly, we always request payment in advance, before the cremation or burial has taken place.Reviews on Google
