FUNERALS
Organising alternative burials
Choosing your
funeral director
The following factors will
help in your choice of
funeral director:
• ocation of the firm’s
l
premises
• o they belong to a trade
d
association?
• hat is the range of services
w
provided?
• what are the costs?
• o they come recommended
d
by those who have used the
service?
• ow are you treated by the
h
staff?
• re they a large or small
a
firm, a family business or
company?
Most funeral directors will
provide the following services
as a minimum:
• ake control of all necessary
t
arrangements
• provide appropriate staff
• provide a suitable coffin
• ransfer the deceased from
t
the place of death to the
funeral director’s premises
• are for the deceased prior to
c
the funeral
• rovide a hearse to the
p
nearest cemetery or
crematorium
• rrange for burial or
a
crematorium as appropriate.
You can consider different types of funerals as an alternative to
traditional services and cremations. One popular alternative to
traditional burials and cremations is a ceremony in woodland or nature
reserve burial grounds.
At woodland burial grounds relatives may be able to plant a tree to
mark the site either on, or near, the grave. At nature reserve burial
grounds, which can be wildflower meadows or pastures, graves are either
unmarked or may be marked by a small wooden plaque that will rot
away naturally and bulbs and flowers can be planted.
You will need a death certificate and a certificate for burial from the
Registrar of deaths. Remember that, if you are planning a private burial,
which includes those not in a churchyard or cemetery, you must first
register your intention to do so.
If you are planning an internment on private land then a number of local
authority permissions will need to be granted. Even if you own the land
concerned, you must check the deeds to ensure there are no restrictions
on what the property may be used for. It is important to consult the local
district and environmental health department who will want to ensure
that the local water table will not be affected.
A record of the burial should be made and kept with the deeds or other
relevant documents relating to the land.
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ADVICE AND HELPLINE: 0845 129 5900