Cremation

We offer a double casket which is designed to accommodate the ashes of more than one person. It’s designed to keep a couple or a parent and child together forever. If you have ashes you want to store for an anticipated reunion, speak to us about options.

It’s a valid question and one we can confidently answer with reassurance that the ashes we receive to pass onto families, scatter or inter at their request, are only that person who’s died and no-one else. Read more about this in our ‘Ashes’ policy.

At sea or in moving water, the answer is yes. We recommend that before scattering ashes on the ground, you seek the land owner’s permission. Many crematoria offer gardens of remembrance and there are designated areas such as natural burial or woodland sites to consider. For areas of natural beauty, forests or mountains , the authorities may publish guidance or preferred locations for ashes to be scattered as it can interfere with the natural fauna and flora.

There’s no right or wrong answer for how long to keep a loved one. It’s a very personal thing and we can explore options and advice to support you. It’s possible to use our Ashes Library (Edinburgh and Lothians only) and we can offer a range of memorial keepsake solutions.

We cater for every type of funeral. Direct cremations are also known as unattended funerals as there is no service arranged. There are pros and cons to direct cremations and we strongly advise speaking to a funeral director to explore if this option is right for you and your loved ones.

There are various factors to consider when choosing burial or cremation. Urban areas where ground is scarce often have higher burial fees and there may be out-of-area considerations. Cremation options may be limited and consequently cost more overall for those who live far away from a facility, but the purchase of ground may be more affordable. Burials will also incur cemetery fees to open existing graves, or to purchase new ground. There are also memorial costs likely to be related to burials for adding inscriptions or to purchase new stones. Cremations are one cost: unattended options do not include a service and attended cremations will include service costs. Ashes are returned within this fee but there may be additional costs to inter or bury these in a grave along with any storage or memorial keepsakes.

There are strict rules about what can be left in a coffin for cremations, hydrolysis (once a facility becomes available) and for woodland or natural burials. If you plan to visit your loved one to say goodbye, you can have photos or other keepsakes and we can guide you as to what can be left once we know your choices of funeral.

There are a number of options available to families who order flowers for a funeral.

They can be left around the graveside or at crematorium, or they can be taken to any planned celebration after the funeral. Some families choose to divide tributes as mementos for mourners, while others place them on a family memorial in days that follow.