Why our direct cremation service is different:

We’re a face to face company, not a call centre. We will look after your loved one with us at our funeral home in Broomfield, Chelmsford. We will advise you of the date, time and location of the committal. We add the addition personal touches that can mean so much more. Read on to understand the value of choosing Secure Haven for a Direct Cremation.

At Secure Haven Funeral Directors, we are proud to be the leading service provider for this type of funeral in Essex.

There has been much interest in direct cremations recently both on tv and radio and even a documentary on ITV that heavily featured this mode of funeral.

So, what is a direct cremation?

A direct cremation is simply a cremation service where no mourners are present. Although this seems a very basic definition it has some implications as to its benefits and which funeral provider one should use.

A vast amount of money has been spent recently by the national providers of direct cremations such as Pure Cremations, Simplicity Funerals and Memoria. These companies do provide the service, but it needs to be mentioned why Secure Haven differ in their service to our families we care for.

Once a family decides upon a direct cremation, if they use a national company like those mentioned they will receive that basic definition, a cremation service where no mourners are present. It’s a very impersonal service as the arrangement is made over the telephone with a central call centre. Yet this is not the only issue most families will face when entering into this as although they know this fact there are other factors, they may not be aware of.

Many of these providers, in fact, use local funeral directors to the deceased to perform many of the functions on their behalf. The most common of these is the bringing of the deceased into their care. Large national providers are unable to offer this service especially if the deceased is to be removed from a care or home environment due to the time issues so many families will, in fact, unknown to them, have their loved one moved by someone they do not know.

If the death has occurred at a hospital environment and the deceased is cared for in the mortuary then these national providers can take several weeks to collect them for the cremation service, which is performed at a time and place of their choice with no interaction with the family, giving them no chance to say that final private farewell.

So, how are we different at Secure Haven Funeral Directors in providing direct cremations?

Firstly, and most importantly, WE take care of your loved one at all times, we do not outsource this to other providers and your loved one will be in our funeral home in Broomfield until the funeral itself.

Secondly, we work with you advising both the date, time and place that the cremation will take place.

Thirdly, we can allow those personal extras should you wish such as the provision for personal mementoes to be included in the coffin like letters, poems, or photographs. You can even choose a favourite piece of music to be played in the chapel and request a photo to be taken at the committal so you can be reassured that the dignity and respect was shown and demonstrated throughout the service.

Fourthly, unlike the larger national companies, we can bespoke our service to your individual needs such as dressing your loved one in their own clothes or visiting them for that final farewell in our beautiful chapel of rest.

Lastly, unlike others, we can also provide the service of an attended committal at Three Counties Crematorium, Braintree or Bentley crematorium at Brentwood, should the thought of not being there to say goodbye be too painful.

Once the cremation has taken place we will collect your loved ones ashes and return them to Secure Haven Funeral Directors to be safely held within a bespoke Oak veneer storage niche for one month in order that your family can make the next decisions knowing their loved one is safe and secure.

Like the national providers, we can also offer funeral plans to help cover the cost of all our funerals. But, unlike the national providers we offer Funeral Wishes which allows our clients to design the funeral of their choice and once the cost has been agreed, we will guarantee that price for 24 months! This means that the money is held by the customer, the funeral decisions can be changed at no expense and most importantly, their wishes are known to the family giving them peace of mind for when the time comes.

So, although a direct cremation is often the choice and the big providers use advertising to attract customers, it should be noted that for the same costs your local independent funeral director, like Secure Haven Funeral Directors, Essex premier direct cremation provider, can go that extra step to help and assist families during this difficult time.