When someone passes away, they are collected by the funeral company and taken ‘directly’ into their care, rather than kept with a funeral director until they are transported to the crematorium in a hearse.
In every other way, a direct cremation is like a traditional funeral. However, because there’s no hearse, no crematorium ceremony and (if you go ‘direct’ to someone like Pure Cremation) no funeral director fees to pay, a direct cremation is usually the most affordable kind of funeral there is. A direct cremation or direct cremation funeral plan can be thousands of pounds cheaper than a traditional funeral, but with the same high quality of care and the same cremation.
Direct cremations are also sometimes called ‘unattended cremations’ or ‘unattended funerals’. This just refers to the fact that family do not attend a ceremony at the crematorium. It doesn’t mean there is no-one in attendance at the cremation – the professionals who work at the crematorium will be there, ensuring that a respectful, dignified cremation takes place.
(In fact, at Pure Cremation, the staff bow to each person in their care, before they are cremated.)
Pure Cremation is the best-known company for direct cremations – to such an extent that people describe this kind of funeral as a ‘pure cremation’ more often than they say ‘direct cremation’.
Every year, thousands of people contact Pure Cremation to arrange a pure cremation for a loved one who has died, knowing we will take care of everything.
The rise in direct cremations
Direct cremations are becoming more and more popular. Research by Theos now shows that most people do not want a ‘traditional’ funeral with a service any more.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, direct cremations became well known, as they were often the only option for many people in the period when large gatherings were forbidden.
Then, as people saw how a direct cremation worked and how it gave people freedom to have a funeral their way, news spread and more and more people chose to follow in David Bowie’s footsteps and opt for a direct cremation.
People like the fact that a direct cremation means money isn’t wasted on flowers that get thrown away straight after the funeral, or on a hearse to take someone to the crematorium, or for a celebrant who didn’t know the deceased. Our customers have said ‘I’d rather my money went to my family, rather than a funeral director’.
But people also like the fact that with a direct cremation, family and loved ones can have any kind of funeral service, send-off, memorial or celebration of life they wish.
"This was something I experienced during the pandemic: my great uncle died (aged 97) and we weren’t able to have a funeral service. Instead, one was arranged for a year later. And it was fantastic. By having it so much later than the funeral, people had plenty of time to grieve privately, and so the service was a celebratory affair, and people were able to speak without becoming choked up.
Family in Australia were able to come over and attend – which they’d never have been able to do with a ‘traditional’ funeral where the service would be just a couple of weeks after he’d died.
And because we had it in the local village hall where he’d lived his whole life, there was no limit on how long it could last (compared to a crematorium ceremony with a traditional funeral, which might only be 45 minutes before the next service is booked).
There was also no limit on how many people could come along, or what kind of send-off we could have." - Ian
5 biggest benefits of a direct cremation
A direct cremation may be chosen by someone who doesn’t have family to attend a ceremony. But it is also often chosen by people who have lots of friends and family, so there is no restriction on who can attend a separate service.
Direct cremations are also popular with people who want a non-religious funeral – but at Pure Cremation we also have many customers who are religious, and whose faith is honoured in the service their family arrange for them, singing hymns and saying prayers.
The five main advantages of a direct cremation are:
1. Avoids unnecessary expense on a hearse, flowers, ministers, etc
2. Takes pressure off family having to make difficult choices
3. Means none of the ‘fuss’ of a traditional funeral that many people don’t want for themselves
4. Allows the family to arrange any send-off they wish
5. Can be half the price of a traditional funeral
A customer of Pure Cremation told us they had taken out a Pure Cremation funeral plan after having to arrange their own father’s funeral.
They said the pressure of having to choose coffin handles, what type of flowers, what the celebrant should say, whether to have a limousine – it was all too much. Too much stress, and too much expense that she knew he wouldn’t really have wanted.
A direct cremation avoids all of those difficult decisions and unwanted pressure.
What does a direct cremation include?
Obtaining the legal paperwork required for a cremation
Because this can be confusing, a Pure Cremation funeral plan includes everything that’s needed, so the direct cremation can happen without family having to pay for any ‘extras’ – whether larger coffins, collection from home, return of jewellery, with Pure it’s all included. Quite literally, ‘pure and simple’.
Five myths about direct cremation
1. It’s for people who don’t care.
A direct cremation just means you don’t want the fuss or expense of a traditional funeral, and you want to spare your family all that stress and cost. It could be argued that a direct cremation means you care more, because it allows a remembrance that’s much more personal and fitting.
2. You don’t get a coffin.
This is not true. At Pure Cremation, everyone has their own, solid wood, environmentally-friendly coffin. The coffin is for them and only them, and they are cremated in that coffin.
3. There’s no-one there when you’re cremated.
This myth is because a direct cremation is sometimes called an ‘unattended cremation’. It doesn’t mean there’s no-one at the crematorium, it just means family don’t have a service there. The professional staff are always there, performing the cremation with the utmost care and respect.
In fact, in a traditional funeral, although the coffin may go behind a curtain during the ceremony (known as the ‘committal’), the cremation doesn’t usually happen there and then – it may be performed several days later. In that regard, a traditional funeral is no different from a direct cremation – family aren’t there during the actual cremation.
4. It’s impersonal.
Families ask us to place items in with the deceased before their cremation and they can come to visit the crematorium if they want. Some faiths require family to witness the start of the cremation, and we will arrange that – in fact, it’s possible to do so in-person or remotely, through our CCTV cameras.
And of course, a direct cremation means family are not restricted to a ceremony at the crematorium, so they can arrange a send-off that’s much more personal.
5. There’s nothing to remember you by.
Cremations are far more common than burials nowadays, which means you’re not likely to have a gravestone, but there will be an urn containing the person’s ashes. This could be kept at a family member’s home, or in a columbarium (typically a room in a church or cemetery building with ‘niches’, which are cubbyholes for holding urns).
Pure Cremation returns ashes in a biodegradable urn, which means that the urn can be buried and a memorial stone could be placed, or a tree planted to remember the deceased.
In addition, Pure Cremation gives everyone in their care an individually-numbered unique ceramic disc. Because it is ceramic, it survives the cremation intact and is used to guarantee the identity of the person’s ashes. This is included with the urn when it is returned to loved ones, as another token to remember them by.
Frequently asked questions
What is a direct cremation plan?
A direct cremation plan simply means a funeral plan for a direct cremation. That’s what a Pure Cremation funeral plan is – and more people buy one of our plans than any other plan, whether direct cremation or traditional.
Buying a plan means you know your wishes will be followed, and it also means that your family won’t have to find the money when the time comes. Buying now means you’re securing a funeral at today’s prices, which lots of people like, since funerals have become more expensive over the years, and often at a faster rate than other costs.
Can I have a direct cremation near me?
You can – although local funeral directors typically don’t have their own crematorium, so although the cremation might be reasonably close to where you live, it won’t actually be performed by the funeral director.
Most direct cremations are carried out by a trusted, national brand like Pure Cremation. We will collect someone from anyone in mainland Britain and bring them into our care, performing the cremation at our own crematorium.
We then return the ashes, personally and by hand to loved ones, so they never have to travel anywhere – and of course they can arrange a send-off nearby, perhaps in a place that was meaningful to the person who has died.
What is the cheapest direct cremation?
A direct cremation may be less than half the price of a traditional funeral.
Funeral directors do not always make it easy to identify which is the cheapest, as, while Pure Cremation prides itself on having funeral plans with an ‘all-inclusive’ price, other companies will advertise one price but add on extras – hidden charges that family would have to pay.
It’s always best to look at several companies and decide who you trust to provide the funeral you want – and if you’re buying a plan so that family don’t have to pay anything or make any arrangements, choose a plan that includes everything you need.
How do I arrange a direct cremation?
You can arrange a direct cremation with your local funeral director if you wish. However, bear in mind that’s not ‘going direct’ as they are unlikely to have their own crematorium and will charge funeral director fees to make the arrangements.
You can also speak to a national company like Pure Cremation. If someone has died and a funeral needs to be arranged, we have a team on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We can help relieve pressure and immediate stress by ensuring that the deceased has a dignified direct cremation at our highly-regarded crematorium, set in over 10 acres of beautiful parkland.
Need help arranging a funeral now? Call 0800 160 1818