Choosing a cremation funeral plan
A decision on burial or cremation is often a personal choice, which can be based on family tradition, cultural or religious needs, or the final wishes of the person who’s died.
Cremations
A cremation can take place with or without people being present. It can include a funeral service beforehand at a different location followed by a shorter committal service at a crematorium, or you can hold the service at the crematorium so that people have one location to travel to.
A cremation is the process that turns a person who’s died into ashes. These ashes are then returned to the person’s family or chosen representative to keep or to scatter at a later date.
3 out of 4 funerals in the UK now include a cremation. A typical service lasts up to 45 minutes but can be longer if needed. A service can be led by a celebrant or officiant to include readings, music, eulogies, and you can choose a traditional or less formal way of saying goodbye.
Some crematoria have facilities to live stream a service on the internet, or to record and capture a service for those who can’t attend in person or people who live overseas.
Central Co-op fulfil the funerals that Central Co-op Funeral Plans promise to deliver in the future. Our plans offer a choice of cremation services:
An attended cremation service, where people gather at a named crematorium and a service is held, in a way that's right for them and the person that's died.
An unattended cremation, without a formal funeral service or people attending. Their family and friends can pay respects and say goodbye in the way that’s right for them.
When the time comes
A cremation can be arranged once you have the certificate for cremation after registering the death. If a coroner is involved and there’s an inquest, a form will be provided once the coroner completes their duties. You’ll also need a second form, known as cremation form 1, which the funeral director at your chosen Central Co-op funeral home will give you to complete. Once you pass it back to the funeral director, they’ll pass it to the crematorium looking after the cremation.
Cremations and the environment
A cremation has a higher impact on the environment compared to a burial, as energy and pollution are higher. If you’re looking for an eco-friendly option, consider a funeral plan for burial, especially a natural burial.
The cost of a cremation
Cremations cost less than burials, as they don’t require a burial plot. So, if you’ve a budget in mind, a cremation is the cheaper option for a funeral. You may need to consider the person’s cultural or religious needs as this could affect the choice of funeral plan. For more information on our plans and prices, take a look at Compare our plans page.
An unattended cremation is the lowest priced option, but your plan would not include the cost of some services such as embalming, flower arrangements, or visiting a loved one before the cremation, for example. Other exclusions are mentioned in our funeral plan summary for the unattended option.
What happens when it’s time to arrange the funeral?
You’ll need to contact the Plan Administration team, and they’ll help to redeem the funeral plan and ensure that the Central Co-op funeral home that is named in the plan has all of the information needed to support with the next important steps.
What happens to ashes after cremation?
When the time comes to make the funeral arrangements with Central Co-op, your chosen funeral home and funeral director will give you options on collecting in person, choosing someone to collect them for you as well as options for the chosen crematorium to scatter them within their grounds.
If you have any questions, want to find out more or you'd like to speak with us about our funeral plans, contact our Funeral Planning team today for more information.
Still have questions?
If you'd to speak to one of our team, you can call us on 01543 421378 or fill in our contact form application, we'd be happy to help.