NEW REPORT REVEALS SIGNIFICANT DISPARITY IN UK CREMATORIA FEES

“We are however beginning to see a step change in how people say goodbye. People are becoming aware that they do have a choice.”

NEW REPORT REVEALS SIGNIFICANT DISPARITY IN UK CREMATORIA FEES
Consumers moving away from traditional services and venues says leading direct cremation provider

The latest figures published by The Cremation Society of Great Britain once again reveals the huge disparity in costs of a cremation faced by grieving families.
The figures, which take into account the cost of the basic cremation fee, medical referee’s fee and, where applicable, an environmental surcharge, range from £445, which is the lowest starting point for a cremation in London up to £1070.

And the difference in charges didn’t just change from county to county. In Hertfordshire, for example, costs ranged from £650 to £1,025, while in Lancashire they ranged from £670 to £1,055.
Whilst the range in Dorset and Buckinghamshire was smaller, families were still spending anywhere between £538 and £898 and £630 to £960 respectively.

Catherine Powell, Customer Experience Director at Pure Cremation|http://purecremation.co.uk|, the UK’s leading direct cremation provider said the figures show how important it is to research funeral costs and options in advance if you want to make informed decisions about funeral arrangements.

She said: “The huge variation in costs for funerals and cremations is a result of many factors, but the most important question is whether a venue is offering good value and meeting the needs of the bereaved. We know that many families hold farewells at the same venue for generations even when there is a better facility available nearby.

“We are however beginning to see a step change in how people say goodbye. People are becoming aware that they do have a choice.”

“We are delighted to see an increasing focus on the celebration of life rather than the cremation and as such a growing number of families are now choosing to separate these two parts of a funeral. As a result, families can choose a simple, respectful service from a quality provider like ourselves , where an unattended cremation might take place many miles away, while they hold a local and very personal goodbye without the coffin present.”

The issue of funeral costs has long been under scrutiny in the UK and is still under scrutiny now. Indeed, only recently research undertaken by the BBC revealed that two-thirds of councils had increased the cost of a cremation in the past year. This latest report from the Cremation Society clearly demonstrates just how inconsistent the costs can be – with some families paying hundreds of pounds more than others who are in the same county as them.
Catherine declared: “There is only one way to drive real change – to get the public to demand good value and more choice and Pure Cremation is proud to be playing a key part in educating and empowering funeral buyers.”

Launched in 2015 Pure Cremation was the UK’s first dedicated provider of simple, no-frills direct cremations which are becoming widely accepted as an alternative to the traditional funeral and as such gaining in popularity.
A simple form of farewell, a direct cremation is where the deceased is collected, cared for and then cremated without a service or mourners present, allowing the families to celebrate the life of their loved one at a time and in a style that is right for them.

As well gaining the freedom to create more personal farewells families can save make significant savings too. For example, Pure Cremation’s costs start from just £1,195 for direct cremations throughout the UK and Northern Ireland, compared to a typical cost of more than £3000 for a basic, traditional cremation funeral.

And as a benchmark for the future, sales of Pure Cremation’s pre-paid plans are also on the increase as consumers seek comfort in the knowledge their express wishes will be taken care of, without leaving their loved ones with added stress and strain.

At the end of 2018 Pure Cremation opened its own crematorium, Charlton Park Crematorium – a £6.5 million state-of-the-art facility nestled in a serene environment of mature parkland near Andover in Hampshire.
This provides a superb venue for local families requesting traditional services but direct cremation makes up the majority of the 2,382 cremations conducted in its first year. Already the 25th busiest crematorium in the UK, Pure Cremation anticipates that this figure will double this year.
*Sun Life Cost of Dying Report 2020

This stunning venue provides superb, modern facilities and technology, ideal for local families requesting traditional services even though direct cremation makes up the majority of the 2,382 cremations conducted in its first year. Already the 25th busiest crematoria in the UK, Pure Cremation anticipates that this figure will double this year.

ENDS

Editor's Note: For further information contact Celeste Clarke at Century PR on 024 76 228881 or email celeste@centurypr.co.uk.