General

Can you use a will to explain what should happen to your ashes?

Marriages, divorces, births, deaths, buying a house, selling a house: all circumstances that, according to the government, mean you should be making (or updating) your will, sensible advice yet around 60% of die without even making one in the first place?! For those who ‘get it’ (ie mortality) , you might consider adding in a […]

Silver memorial jewellery sealing: How To Guides.

Silver memorial jewellery sealing: how to fill and seal your memorial jewellery. See our step by step guide to filling and sealing your silver memorial jewellery. Here is a short video that shows you how to fill and seal your silver memorial jewellery. It will take you through the five steps to putting your loved […]

Training Course: Scattering or Interring of Cremated Remains

Training Course: Scattering or Interring of Cremated Remains Training Course. There is a growing trend for funerals to focus on the ashes element of the ceremony which is a very positive development. However, often those doing the scattering will have received little or no formal training. A small investment in staff training will have two […]

Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day Mother’s Day. We’re offering £10 off every Vermeil Gold Heart this week and delivered FREE next day as long as your order is placed before 12pm. We want to celebrate all those amazing mums who may no longer be with us but have left their lasting legacy with us. Just one day a year […]

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Changes to Cremation Regulations in England and Wales will impact ashes

Amendments to the cremation regulations are on their way they come into force on the 6th April 2018. They apply to cremations within England and Wales. How have they changed and what will it mean, there have been two big changes: There will be a new application forms which will include a section where the […]

Regional variations in our relationship with ashes

By and large us Brits are of a mind when it comes to cremation and the scattering of ashes – across age, political persuasion, gender and locality we are broadly similar in outlook. With one notable exception – The older we get the more we would prefer to be cremated. However, the recent YouGov survey on […]

Scattering Ashes Service across the UK and overseas

Scattering Ashes Service Scattering Ashes Service across the UK and overseas. Are you looking for your loved one’s ashes to be scattering at a particular destination within the UK or overseas but are unable to do this yourself? We can help. Many of us will have a place in mind that we want our ashes […]

It’s time to do something with the ashes now Mum

Bereavement: when to scatter the ashes Bereavement: when to scatter the ashes. We receive a significant number of calls from a daughter or son who have rung asking about how to do something with with their Dad’s/Mum’s ashes. In general they ring with a good heart and want to scatter the ashes somewhere significant but […]

Xining in China’s Qinghai province is to subsidise scattering ashes

Xining in the Northwest part of China’s Qinghai province is going to subside those who choose to scatter ashes. The authorities are concerned about land usage and so are trying to encourage more cremation and scattering of ashes. As of the first of June this year the authorities will subsidies those people who opt for […]

Ashes stored in an Ashes Bank in Uttar Pradesh’s India

There is now a solution for a problem that a number of Hindus face. According to some certain traditions ashes of a cremated relative can’t be taking home for 14 days. So what do the families do with the ashes in between cremation and when they can take them home? So Yug Dadhichi Deh Dan […]

Ashes put into a Vinyl Record

After a truly unique way to remember some you loved? We work with a british company that can put the cremation ashes of your loved one into 12 inch vinyl record. Whether you want to hear a recording of their voice or a desert island discs type compilation we can help. A small amount of […]

Council mix-up: an exhumation because an ashes burial plot was sold to two people!

Jennifer Phillips bought a plot in Welton Road Cemetery, Daventry, Northamptonshire back in 1987 so that when the time came she and her husband could be buried next to her parents. However, on a visit her parents grave she noticed a small wooden cross on the plot that she owned. It transpires that the council, […]

Church of England rules on Exhumation of Ashes: what are Exceptional Circumstances

The Church of England considers the burial of ashes final. To get ashes removed from consecrated land is difficult if not impossible, you will need to demonstrate exceptional circumstances and navigate the very formal language used by the church. Set out below is what you need to know. You would need to get permission (known as […]

Can’t find what you are looking for? We can help, we make beautiful bespoke items

When looking for something to memorialise a loved one the choice can be bewildering, but at the same time it may not be what you are looking for. You may have something very specific in mind or it might be a requirement for your needs. Here are just two recent examples of how we have […]

Sandallwood flowers used in Thai cremation ceremonies

The Thai king King Bhumibol Adulyadej was cremated last month (October 2017) and he has two cremation ceremonies, the first cremation is ceremonial and not actual, in the first ceremony they burnt ashes of sandalwood flowers. When I first saw this I was slightly confused, I thought they were referring to flowers of the sandalwood […]

filing a natural floating ball urn video

How to fill a Natural Floating Ball Urn: Video

Filling a Natural Floating Ball Urn Many of us choose a water burial as a final farewell ceremony, floating ball urns are a very popular choice. They will float on the surface for while, allowing you to say a few words and then sink below the waves. Although we send instruction with each one on […]

What to do with ashes? 12 things to consider: VIDEO

When you get the ashes back from the funeral directors it can seem very daunting. You wont know what to do for the best, there may be relatives wanting one thing or another. However, there are a number of things you may not have considered, why would you? Over the years we have listened to […]

Ashes into Fireworks video – Self-fire Rockets

Ashes into Fireworks video – Self-fire Rockets Fireworks are a fabulous option for a spectacular send-off, watch our ashes into fireworks video to see how one family gave their loved one a truly memorable send-off. The rockets are powerful, colourful and will make any fire ceremony go with a bang. Ashes into fireworks You have two choices […]

Can a funeral director keep ashes until they have been paid?

No, they can’t. Some funeral directors choose to hold ashes until the family pay the bill, but they are not allowed to. It is the applicant’s right under Section 7 of the Cremation Act 1902 and Statutory Rules and Orders, 1903, No 286. Cremation England & Wales. It must be noted that this is NOT standard […]

A Heart-warming story about a family being reunited (with ashes)

The story starts off rather tragically, it concerns a lady who is murdered. An English lady Lena Booth White Hat born in 1940 went off to the US to live here life and fell in love and married a native American Indian, the couple settled in Denver Colorado. The marriage sounds like it didn’t […]

Christmas – coping with bereavement

Christmas – coping with bereavement Christmas can be a very difficult time of year. It’s always brings the family memories rushing forward, especially if it a first anniversary since your loved one passed away. We have a few ideas for surviving Christmas but everyone is different so please do speak to others who have been […]

Cemetery error deemed exceptional in exhumation case

At Scattering Ashes we report on as many exhumation cases as we hear about so we can pass the learning onto you. Without wishing to repeat myself, getting permission for exhumation of ashes from consecrated ground is difficult: it must be exceptional circumstances – here is our main page on exhumation of the subject, here […]

Police interfered with Teddy urn

Discreet urns are popular, you can keep ashes out of sight in a place that provides you comfort and nobody else needs to know. On the market there is a urn that is a teddy bear the ashes are kept within the bear which are popular for infant moralities. One poor lady had […]

Dignitas loses case on scattering ashes in Lake Zurich

Several years back the clinic that helps people with assisted suicide got into trouble for disposing of people’s ashes in Lake Zurich, Switzerland. This then started a lot of commotion and five years on the state moved to prevent this practise. Dignitas fought this saying that it was an unfair restriction of trade. However, the […]

How big does a cremation urn need to be?

How big does a cremation urn need to be? How big does a cremation urn need to be? Different urns have different capacities, different people once cremated will result in different amounts of ash being produced. There is no exact rule for this, but it generally it relates to the weight of the person when […]

Video: What type of water urn should you choose for your water ceremony?

Scattering Ashes over water is one of the most popular 4th Ceremonies. You can just scatter the ashes over the water, but many people now choose to use a water urn to contains the ashes, the reason is quite simple: ashes can be very fine and blow about even a small breeze. The question many […]

Northampton Saints Rugby Football Club policy on Scattering Ashes at Franklin’s Gardens

Not good news from the Saints : This is what Northampton Rugby Football Club said: We do not allow scattering or burial of ashes in the [Franklin’s Gardens] stadium as it has the potential to cause too many problems in the future. As yet we do not have a memorial garden although this is something we […]

Family ashes plots a way to persuade the church to allow exhumation?

I have written on the subject of exhumation of ashes many times because each case is slightly different and it interesting to see the church’s stance. As usually the salient points from the judge get reported. In case you are not aware, if ashes are buried on consecrated land the decision whether to allow exhumation rests with […]

Ashes Policy at Reading Football Club

We asked Reading Football Club to let us know what their policy was on the scattering at Madejski Stadium in Reading This is what they said: We are unable to have ashes scattered on the pitch at the Madejski Stadium. We do however have a garden of remembrance at the stadium where supporters are more than […]

Scattering ashes on a windy day: how not to do it!!

Scattering ashes on a windy day. When a scattering ashes ceremony goes wrong it often becomes a story in many a family’s mythology. The truth is scattering ashes and the wind don’t often mix well. This poor lady gets it almost entirely wrong. Her son filming it, sees the funny side. His mum trying to […]

How much ash is there after cremation?

Question: How much ash is there after cremation? Answer: The average weight of ashes after cremation is around 6lbs or 3 kilos: equivalent to three bags of sugar. It varies between men and women, with men 7.1lbs (+ or – 1.2lbs) which is 3.2kg for woman 4.9lbs (+ or – 1lbs) which is 2.2kg. It […]

Dear Film Industry – stop misleading people

In the past few weeks I have watched a couple of cracking films, but as always the producers or directors fib about the ashes to increase cinematic impact, in a way I get it, the ashes are symbolic they dont need to be ‘real’ but it just perpetuates this myth that you get a few […]

Scattering ashes at Bournemouth Football Club’s Vitality Stadium

Bournemouth has been one of the football league’s success stories, qualifying and managing to stay in the premiership in the face of very stiff competition. So we thought we better find out whether they permit the scattering or bury of ashes at the Vitality stadium. Bad news I am afraid this is what they say: […]

What do the public think of Crematoria – Part 1

We are running an on-going survey on the website asking members of the public what they think of crematoria. We understand that those offering cremation services are in a difficult position when wanting feedback on what they provide – they can hardly stand outside with a clipboard. Over three posts we will shedding light on some […]

Ian Brady’s ashes – can they be scattered on Saddleworth Moor?

Ian Brady’s ashes Ian Brady, one of Britain’s most infamous serial killers died this week. One might expect that to be the end the matter. Not so, there has been a great furore over what should happen to his ashes. The corner in Sefton, a Mr Christopher Sumner, said that they will not release the […]

A new free short guide: What to do with Ashes now – available to people working with bereaved families

We have been blogging and writing on the subject of ashes for a several years now, and we have produced a lot of guidance on what people could do with ashes. However, until now we have only had this information available on the website and our booklet*. The good news is we have taken the main […]

Walk through a British Crematorium: a lovely authentic video

The video below is really nice walk through a crematorium here in the UK, the video appeared in article written for the Plymouth Herald in Devon and features Karen Jennings, the council’s bereavement service manager. The video is under five minutes and what I loved about it is that it isn’t some super polished corporate […]

The perils of not using the right urn: Galveston, Texas

All too often I see in the reports of people trying to return urns to families. People will commit the ashes of a loved one to the deep without the full grasp of science – wood, air weight densities and the like. In fact, the situation got so bad in California they even have a […]

Ashes in Fireworks – a happy customer

This Celebration of Life fireworks display was for the late Diane Finlay and was organised by her sons and daughter. The display took place in October, in a place that Diane had always loved in the Northamptonshire countryside. A small group of family and friends gathered at around 7pm. After a short speech and toast […]

Coronation Street: Sad plot line ends in beach scattering of a premature baby’s ashes

I think it is good when Soap Operas tackle really difficult and emotional challenging issues, although I do sometime wonder whether it is entirely to pull at heartstrings. However that is by-the-by, Monday night’s episode (20/2/17) of Coronation Street saw Michelle Connor and Steve MacDonald say goodbye to their baby Ruairi. In the story the couple suffered the […]

Do they cremate multiple bodies at once?

Do they cremate multiple bodies at once? No they don’t. In the UK the Code insists that each cremation is carried out separately. Furthermore the aperture (opening/door) of cremator in which the coffins are place is only big enough to accept one coffin. There are certain exceptions, specifically in certain where the cases of mother […]

Up-cycled Jewellery – Meet Your Maker Series

Up-cycled Jewellery Up-cycled Jewellery. We are really lucky to live in a place where there are so many talented makers. From jewellers to carpenters, to wood-turners to glass makers…and they’re all really lovely people too. People who really care about what they do and how they do it. Lots of people say they care, but I’ve […]

Ashes into Jewellery

Ashes into Jewellery We want you to be able to cherish your loved one so we have worked with artists and suppliers to offer you something that you can wear every day or on special occasions. We are always looking for new and interesting ways to put your loved one’s ashes into jewellery. If you have […]

Crematoria: good or bad – we want your opinion please

When we die, most people in the UK are cremated as opposed to buried. In fact over three-quarters of us. Elsewhere places such as the US, Canada and Australia the percentage is over 50 and rising. Cost is given as a reason for the increased numbers. However, cremation whilst still less expensive is far from […]

To avoid family arguement make your wishes regarding you ashes clear

The number of families asking us to intervene regarding the possession or intent in relation to a loved one’s ashes is remarkably high, considering we are not a solicitor or mediation service. Many of us pass away without leaving a will let alone expressing what will happen to our ashes. This can lead to a […]

The legal definition of cremation ashes

Finally we have a legal definition of Cremation ashes in the England and Wales, and whilst it seems surprising that nothing had been set down before, it is good that we have one now, which is set out in the new Cremation (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2016. ““ashes” means all the material left in […]

Emergency triggered due to Ash scattering at the New York Opera House.

A Dallas man caused a fright at the New York Metropolitan Opera House when he scattered the ashes of his friend in the orchestra pit during the intermission. The ashes were mistaken for a dangerous substance and the performance had to be abandoned during the second intermission at the matinée performance of “Guillaume Tell’’, people […]

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