General

Welsh Council manages to dig up garden of remberance by accident!

Families in the Welsh town of Dendigh were left heartbroken after the area where ashes were scatter and rose bushes were planted was dug up/ dug over by unsuspecting council workers. It would appear employees working for the council took it upon themselves to clear a plot of land in Ystrad Road graveyard in Denbigh. […]

Leaflet: Hindu Ashes Water Ceremony

We are proud to announce that we have created and published our first guidance note for water ceremonies for the Hindu community living here in the UK. Why have we done this? We get many calls per week from younger member of the family that have been tasked with arranging the Ash Scattering Ceremony for […]

Key Dates for Attendance at Scattering Ceremonies – Covid 19

Covid restriction on scattering ashes ceremonies At the present time due to the Coronavirus continuing to impact the way we live our lives the numbers allowed to attend a scattering ashes ceremony is restricted – there is no exceptions for different religions and breaking the number could result in a fixed penalty notice, and disruption […]

Saying Goodbye to all This- Podcast, Not letting go of the ashes

I have just read a lovely piece on loss on the BBC website entitled – ‘My husband’s ashes are still unscattered, but we’re doing OK’ The author Sophie Townsend talks about going on holiday a year after her husband passes away, leaving her a young widow with two children. She decides not to take the […]

What is the definition of an Urn?

There are various definitions on an Urn, let’s ignore those specifically referring to a large receptacle for tea and such like and focus on those that contain ashes, oops have I just given the game away? Let’s see… Urn (noun: urn; plural noun: urns)So Google pops up with the following: a tall, rounded vase with […]

How do I work out how much ashes I have?

Calculating the litres of Ashes from the weight Cremation ashes urns come in all shapes and sizes, but will the one you want contain all the ashes you have? This is what you do… If you know the weight of the ashes you can estimate the volume – because 1 Litre of ashes weighs just […]

12 Special Ideas for Scattering Ashes

There is a wide range of special ideas for scattering ashes here are some we like: Plant and memorial tree and scatter them around the tree or or bury them underneath Put them in to some fireworks and blast then into the night sky Place them in a memorial reef off of the coast of […]

Carrying Ashes on a KLM flight: Airline Policy

If you are carrying cremated remains / ashes on a KLM airline then you should be aware that this is there policy: An urn can be taken as part of hand baggage, or as check-in baggage. • The urn’s crematorium certificate must be brought and be shown during security check, so the urn will not […]

Mother’s Day Competition

Mother’s Day Competition Want to treat your mum to a fabulous Devon Cream tea at @GlazbrookHouseHotel on us? Enter our Mother’s Day Competition. We’re on the hunt for a mother and daughter to feature in our new brochure. If you and your mum/daughter would like to have your hair and makeup professionally done, be photographed […]

Can you scatter ashes anywhere?

Can you scatter ashes anywhere? The answer is no you can’t. The law in UK is very relaxed compared to many countries but you need the landowners permission. Someone landowners are fine and others are not. As a general rule of thumb the more open and spacious the more likely you are to get permission. […]

Losing Ashes Jewellery – Steps to take to keep it safe

Ashes Jewellery is one of the most precious items you’ll own. We know because people tell us. We even have some people order a piece then don’t where it because they get so worked up about losing it. We also know what happens when people who do lose items, and how they try to get […]

Does scattering the ashes of a loved one bring closure

We are often asked “Does scattering the ashes of a loved one bring closure?”. The answer is complicated, closure on what? What is it you want closure on? After many discussions with grief specialists I have have come to agree that the term closure is unhelpful. It conjures up thoughts “Right that’s him sorted, time […]

New Survey – Return of Ashes from the Crematorium

Crematorium hand over 400k crematoriums in the UK every year, the average price of a price of a cremation is £850 It don’t need a Nobel prize winning mathaniciacan to work out this is a sizable industry. It is a caring industry too, over the past few years we have been polling the public to […]

I want a Viking Funeral – What can I do?

Viking Funeral UK “Dad said he wanted a Viking funeral: can it be done?” – This is becoming and increasingly popular question: films, novels, TV series like Game of Thrones or Vikings (amongst other things) triggers a powerful urge in our imagination. There is something about a Viking send-off that is really potent and symbolic. […]

Splitting the ashes – How many Scatter Tubes are needed?

Splitting the ashes – How many Scatter Tubes are needed? Splitting the ashes? Do you want or need to split the ashes amongst family and/or friends? More and more people want to split ashes, there are a number for reasons for this, here are two of the most common: The person wanted to be scattered […]

Does your family need more time at the Crematorium?

Does your family need more time at the Crematorium? Does your family need more time at the Crematorium? A rushed service is not a good experience for anyone. In fact, our research shows, when you feel you have not had enough time to say goodbye – it can upset, enrage, distress even traumatize someone. BUT, […]

Mortonhall Crematorium – Tough Talking their way back into the people’s hearts?

Mortonhall Crematorium Mortonhall crematorium in Edinburgh has had more than its fair share on controversy. In 2013 it was the centre of the baby ashes scandal. They had been disposing of premature baby ashes and telling parents there weren’t any ashes to collect. This caused a huge furore and quite rightly so! (see our previous […]

Is a will the last word on ashes? 2019

Wills are funny things. They can be as eccentric as the people who make them. Think of Jonathan Jackson, who set aside a small fortune in his will for the construction of a mansion for cats. Or Houdini, who asked his wife to conduct a séance each year on the anniversary of his death. We […]

Is the crematorium the right place to hold a funeral?

Over recent year there has been an increasing trend to hold the entire funeral at the crematorium. Recent figures suggest that this is around 80% of families do this. This is possibly due to several factors. Increased secularisation, the church was always the main place for a funeral and then often it would be close […]

Direct Cremation is not for everyone, but it is for some

Direct cremation, never heard of it? Well it is what David Bowie did when he died. No family, no crematoria visit, no fuss. He then had his ashes scattered in Bali (Indonesia). Direct cremation is not a new phenomenon but in its current form it is different enough to be making a stir. Depending on […]

Where would you Celebrate the life of your loved one?

Competition Time To enter our competition all you need to do is fill in the form below with your name, email address, where you would like to celebrate the life of your loved one and why. We will select 10 suggestions at random on the 1st August and email you to get details of where […]

What to say while scattering ashes

What to say while scattering ashes Picking the right words to say when scattering ashes can seem daunting, but with a bit of preparation and thought it isn’t too tricky can be very cathartic. What you are looking to do is capture the essence of the person, without waffling or getting too upset. With a […]

Flower Symbolism for Water Ceremonies

Flower Symbolism for Water Ceremonies Flower Symbolism for Water Ceremonies. Using flowers can add a very special element to your ceremony. You can add different flowers simply because you like them. Or you might like to add flowers because they mean something symbolic to you, your family or your beliefs. Flowers can be a central […]

Celebration of Life firework video

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday everyone. So if like me you’re still full from the pancakes yesterday you’re not alone! Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day is when many countries with a Christian population celebrate. Traditionally you would empty your larder of all the goodies before you embarked upon Lent. You can see the almost literal translation in […]

What do you think of Crematoria – Our New Survey

Last year we published a survey on what people thought of Crematoria – you can find a summary of part 1 here. The survey showed some interesting results and left some unanswered questions. So we are continuing to delve into this subject to find out what you think, in order to make the whole thing […]

Scattering and Cremation Ashes Law in France

What is the law in France concerning cremation ashes and scattering ashes? France is a progressive secular state, however when it comes to death it seems to be rather conservative in its outlook. Whilst just over half of the population (51%) assert being Christian (with Roman Catholicism being by far and away the most practised […]

Funerals Your Way by Sarah Jones

Funerals Your Way: A Person Centred Approach to Planning a Funeral by Sarah Jones Sarah Jones from Full Circle Funerals asked me to have a look at her new book on how to plan a funeral, the first thing to say is I am a fan of Sarah and her company, and I don’t think […]

God of War: multi million selling video game whose objective is to scatter ashes!

I know precious little about video games, I see my children play them with bewildering speed and dexterity. Occasionally they offer me the controls and encourage me to play, I then spend a short while embarrassing myself before returning them and then being ridiculed. However, I was interested to learn that one of the biggest […]

That takes the Biscuit! Grandma’s ashes in a cookie!

Grandma’s ashes in a cookie I can just imagine it – ‘Would you like one of my Nan’s cookies they are delicious?’, ‘Ummm yes please’ …. ‘Did I say they were my Gran’s cookies? I got my grammar wrong they are cookies of my gran!’ This is a story that has had huge press, two […]

The Church of England has granted atheist parents the right to exhumation their daughter ashes

Beverley Wilson and Michael Hughill lost their 10-month-old daughter back in 1982, a hugely traumatic experience. The child (Lizzie) was cremated and her ashes were buried the same month at Chestnut Cemetery in Hertfordshire. The parents, due to the trauma they were feeling, left the arrangements for the funeral to Mr Huhgill’s farther. Mrs Wilson, […]

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 […]

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 […]

Scattering Ashes Charity Donation

Thank you, the Donation has been Registered have a Merry Christmas From Richard, Karen and Hannah

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 […]

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