Frequently Asked Questions

The cremation service will take place Monday to Friday during working hours.

When the time comes, our compassionate team will liaise between the person arranging the funeral and the chosen crematorium to find a suitable date and time.

When someone passes away in a hospital, staff will verify their identity and seek permission for any necessary post-mortem examination. The body is then temporarily placed in the hospital's mortuary until arrangements are made with a funeral director. The deceased's belongings are kept safe by the hospital until collected by the estate administrator for distribution to beneficiaries.

Our funeral plans guarantee your acceptance, with no medical questions or additional costs for the elderly or those with pre-existing medical conditions. However, for funeral plans payable over 5 or 10 years we incur additional administration expenses for collecting the monthly instalments and for the purchase and administration of a “whole of life” policy from Scottish Friendly - an authorised and regulated insurance provider.

A direct cremation funeral plan lets you choose and pay for an unattended funeral ahead of time. Planning your own funeral protects your family from funeral costs and ensures your wishes are known for the type of funeral you'd like. If you know you'll be the one making funeral arrangements for someone else in future, you can take out a funeral plan for them for peace of mind.

When the time comes we'll carry out every part of the process and deliver the ashes to your family at no extra cost. Our funeral plans include cremation, fees, collection, care, return of the ashes and much more. For full details of what is and is not covered with our different funeral plan options, please read our price list and terms & conditions.

With Distinct Cremations, it will take approximately 2-4 weeks to arrange the funeral. This includes the completion of the necessary paperwork and the cremation itself. Once the cremation has taken place, the ashes can be scattered in the crematorium garden of remembrance or personally returned by our team within 14 days.

After the death of your loved one, you need to contact the register office and register the death within 5 days in England and Wales and within 8 days in Scotland. You'll need the cremation or burial certificate to start making the funeral arrangements. Using the help of a funeral provider like Distinct Cremations can speed up things as we are professionals and we can guide you through the process

Yes, you can pay for your funeral plan in 12 monthly instalments or over 5 or 10 years. Terms & conditions apply.

The Westerleigh Group are the parent company of Distinct Cremations. Together, we are one of the UK’s largest cremation providers. The Westerleigh Group have owned and managed a network of crematoria within the UK for over 30 years. We now operate 42 crematoriums.

Westerleigh Group has a strong emphasis on the environmental aspect of its work and has been measuring emissions and investing in the latest energy efficiency for some time. By 2032, Westerleigh Group has a target of reaching net zero carbon emissions by continuing to invest in the latest energy-efficient equipment and developing a significant programme of woodland tree planting.

Westerleigh Group’s crematoriums also have extensive and beautiful grounds and offer a unique opportunity to respond to the current biodiversity crisis and offset residual carbon.

If you would like to arrange a direct cremation in [location] for yourself in the future or you know you will be responsible for planning someone else's funeral, you can also arrange a direct cremation in advance with a direct cremation funeral plan. As well as providing direct cremation services at the time of need, we also offer the option to set up a Direct Cremation Plan.