Conveyor belt cremations... or a simple send off?

Direct funerals have soared in popularity since the pandemic, with one in five Britons now choosing them over traditional chapel services. But even if they are cost-effective, not everyone believes in saying goodbye to personalised memorials for our nearest and dearest

- Dominic Bliss

CATRIONA KEELING lost her mother, her father and her uncle all within the space of 12 months. First, 73-year-old Jenny died in January 2024. Seven months later, her father Martyn died at 76. And in January 2025, it was the turn of her Uncle Phil, 70.

For most grieving relatives, the burden of losing three loved ones and then organising three separate funerals would exact a heavy toll. But Catriona, a 48-year-old events manager from Bristol, faced a much simpler task.

Fortunately for her, before they died, Jenny, Martyn and Phil had all chosen what's known as “direct cremation”, without a formal funeral or attended service.

Direct cremations are nothing like traditional funerals. There are no undertakers, no hearses, and no crematorium services.

The deceased is collected from home, hospital or care home placed in a simple coffin, and then cremated by professionals at a private crematorium.

Families can still hold a memorial service at a later date but, on the whole, no mourners are present at the cremation itself.

It may sound rather soulless, undignified even some critics have given it the harsh nickname “burn and return”. But this simpler method of sending off loved ones is growing in popularity. According to a recent survey, one in five Britons are now choosing direct cremation in advance of their final days. The same survey calculated that, in the UK, the average cost of a basic, traditional funeral is now £4,285, taking into account a burial or cremation, a service, a mid-range coffin, a hearse, plus fees for the doctor, the undertakers and the celebrant. Dying, it appears, is an expensive business.

Catriona says her three relatives had been worried about the excessive costs of a final sendoff, which is why they opted for direct cremation instead.