Your funeral plan is safe with us

To comply with FCA requirements Distinct Funeral Plans Limited must:

Hold and invest money received into either an independent trust fund or life insurance policy
Have the accounts of the fund independently audited each year by a qualified accountant
Have the fund actuarially valued each year by an independent actuary to determine the ability of the fund to meet its obligations to plan holders
Ensure the trust is run by professional managing trustees, the majority of which must be independent of Distinct Funeral Plans Limited.
Maintain a minimum solvency in the fund of 110% of the fund's liabilities
Produce an annual Solvency Assessment Report (SAR) showing the level of solvency of the fund
Ensure that the money in the fund is managed by a FCA regulated investment manager
Provide detailed data and copies of the annual audited accounts and actuarial valuation to the FCA for review
In the event of a failure, plan holder funds are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme

How your money is protected with Distinct Cremations

Every customer who takes out a funeral plan with Distinct Cremations is fully protected, whether you're paying with a single payment, over 12 months, 5 years or 10 years. Here's how we safeguard your money.

Paying with...

Single payment or 12 monthly payments

Funds from your funeral plan are held in a secure trust managed by trustees
Your money can only ever be used towards the cost of your funeral and nothing else
When the person for whom the plan is intended dies, we contact the trustees to request a withdrawal which is only approved after cremation arrangements have been made

Paying with...

Payments over 5 or 10 years

We purchase a 'whole of life' policy from Scottish Friendly - an authorised and regulated insurance provider - upon receipt of your payment
The proceeds of that policy will be used to pay for the funeral at the time of need
The policy proceeds are only paid out to Distinct Cremations after the funeral has taken place

The Distinct Funeral Plans Trust

If you choose to pay for your Distinct Cremations funeral plan with either a single payment or over 12 monthly payments, the money you pay goes into the legally separate and independent Distinct Funeral Plans Trust. The Distinct Funeral Plans Trust is actively managed and formally audited and valued each year. The Solvency Assessment Report for 2022, which is produced by an independent actuary, was published on 7th March 2023 and shows the trust is fully funded and has a solvency level of 118.5%, well above the amount it needs to cover all funeral plan costs.

As an added security for plan holders, Distinct Cremations is owned by the Westerleigh Group. The Westerleigh Group is the UK's largest independent cremation services provider. They have crematoriums across the UK and perform over 60,000 cremation services a year. The Westerleigh Group is there to perform the cremation services for Distinct Cremations plan holders.

The trust is independent

The Distinct Funeral Plans Trust is legally separate from Distinct Funeral Plans Limited. It is run by professional managing trustees, who ensure the primary beneficiaries, the funeral plan holders, interests are protected.

All monies are paid into the trust's bank account, which is held with Lloyd’s Bank plc. Royal London Asset Management, a leading UK FCA-regulated investment manager, carefully invests the funds so they grow with inflation. This allows us to guarantee we can cover the services included in your plan.

If Distinct Cremations were to go out of business, you may be entitled to claim compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if we cannot meet our obligations.

The trust is fully funded

The trust exists to hold and invest the money that plan holders pay. The managing trustees work with Distinct Cremations to ensure that there is enough money to cover the cost of every plan holder’s funeral. The trust’s financial records are reviewed annually by an independent auditor who checks that all the financial records are accurate and comply with laws and regulations.

An actuarial review is then undertaken, which is completed by Zenith Actuarial, who assess and report on the Trust’s ability to meet all its promises and obligations to plan holders from the money it holds. If the trust is 100% solvent, then it has enough money to cover the cost of every plan holder’s funeral. The actuary reported that the Distinct Funeral Plans Trust is 118.5% solvent, meaning it has more money than it needs to cover every plan holder’s funeral.

Our latest solvency report

A copy of our latest Solvency Assessment Report (SAR) is transparently available for you to read below.

Read now

The trustees

The managing trustees are responsible for managing the money that plan holders pay and their primary responsibility is to protect the interests of funeral plan holders. The managing trustees are supported in their duties by various expert and professional advisers to ensure that the money is prudently invested in a low-risk manner.

Graeme McAusland

Independent Managing Trustee and Chair of the Trustees

Graeme is a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries and has more than 35 years’ experience in the financial sector. Graeme currently serves as Non-Executive Chair of Metfriendly and as a Non-Executive Director of The Medical Defence Union, where he chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. He was previously Chief Executive of The Children’s Mutual and Chief Executive of the Funeral Planning Authority.

Simon Richards

Independent Managing Trustee

Simon is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and has a long career in financial services with extensive knowledge of investment solutions involving managing assets against liabilities. Simon has been at Insight Investment for 15 years, where he currently serves as Head of Insurance Solutions. Prior to this Simon held senior actuarial roles at JP Morgan and NPI.

Steve Wallis

Managing Trustee

Steve is one of the UK’s most experienced professionals in the funeral plan sector, having managed and led some of the most successful pre-paid funeral plan companies in the UK. Steve has been a champion of regulation since 2016. He is currently the Managing Director of Distinct Cremations and serves as a Managing Trustee to ensure plan holders' interests are protected.

Paying for your funeral plan over 5 or 10 years

When you purchase a funeral plan with Distinct Cremations by paying with payments over 5 or 10 years, we will purchase a whole of life insurance policy (which has no surrender or transfer value) from Scottish Friendly, where we are the beneficiary. Upon the death of the person for whom the cremation is for, Scottish Friendly will release the funds. Distinct Cremations will use this to cover the cost of the cremation promised.

Who are Scottish Friendly?

Scottish Friendly Assurance Society are a leading UK mutual life and investments organisation authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority.

Distinct Cremations' relationship with Scottish Friendly was established in 2022.

How is the money protected?

Scottish Friendly invest the money a customer pays in order to ensure there is enough to cover the cost of the funeral Distinct Cremations has promised to provide. Scottish Friendly will only release the funds from the Whole of Life policy once Distinct Cremations have been notified of the death of the person for whom the cremation is for.

If Distinct Cremations were to go out of business, you may be entitled to claim compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if we cannot meet our obligations.

We offer the highest level of support, but don't take our word for it

Below are a selection of reviews from those who have arranged a funeral or purchased a funeral plan through Distinct Cremations.

"I can't recommend Distinct Cremations enough. I felt like my hand was held throughout the entire process. A wonderful team. Look no further than Distinct Cremations, first class! Credit to Grace J and colleagues. Thank you."

Anton, 5 Nov 2023

"When you receive news of a loved family member in time of need or passing, the worries of many things arise. Consider contacting Distinct Cremations. My personal experience has been positive, in that their professional support had helped to provide a dignified service & cremation for the family to attend. They explained clearly what was available & when it would be able at the time of contact & positive communication throughout. They were recommended I've chosen to say thank you."

Anon, 3 Nov 2023

"Great service and easy to fill in forms. Everything you need to take care of my unattended funeral leaving the family to celebrate my life with everything taken care of by Distinct Cremations."

George, 2 Nov 2023

"The help and support I received was phenomenal. In both cases, my friends were fetched from where they were and it was all sorted by Distinct Cremations personnel themselves. I can only say that I have just paid for my own cremation too and feel very relieved that it would make things so much easier for my children that live all over the world. I can really recommend making a timely decision about what happens after you die. This will bring immense peace of mind to yourself and your loved ones that stay behind."

Elizabeth, 31 Oct 2023

"This was our first experience of using a direct cremation service and we weren't sure what to expect. We were guided through the process by our own personal assistant who explained our options. Once we had made a decision on the type of service we wanted she advised us what we needed to do at every step of the way. She kept in regular contact to make sure we were happy and to answer any questions we had. The end-to-end service was very efficient and clearly explained by sensitive staff who were always available to answer any questions. We would highly recommend Distinct Cremations."

Jane, 27 Oct 2023

“We were very impressed with the service provided by Distinct Cremations from start to finish. All the people who dealt with Dad's cremation were kind and compassionate, particularly Alice who took our initial call, and Stephen who handled things from then on. They kept us informed about developments every step of the way and made us feel welcome to ask if ever we had any queries. The whole process was carried out in a professional yet sympathetic way. Would definitely recommend these people if you are considering a direct cremation for your loved one.”

Anthony, 17 Oct 2023

“Exceptional service, everything was taken care of by kind and considerate staff making a very difficult time easier to bear by removing the stress of organising and planning a funeral. We can now plan how to celebrate my father's life together as a family and at a time of our choosing. Everything was taken care of with the staff involved keeping me informed at every stage, they made me feel that Dad was being cared for.”

Lesley, 16 Oct 2023

Read all our reviews