Best Direct Cremation
Simple, dignified direct cremation - done properly
Always delivered locally by our handpicked, independent BEST Funeral Directors.
Here whenever you need us – 24 hours a day
Cared for locally and never driven miles away
Delivered by a proper independent funeral director
Personal attention and professional mortuary care
A real person to talk to, whenever you need us
Direct cremation from £1,499 - delivered by a local, vetted, funeral director
Best Direct Cremation provides simple, dignified direct cremation services, delivered by an independent funeral director that’s local to you – chosen and verified by us as one of the finest in the country, meeting the highest standards of professional care.
You don’t need to compare providers, worry about quality, or question what happens behind the scenes. When you choose Best Direct Cremation, we’ve already done all the work for you – so you can know you’re in great care.
Your loved one will be cared for locally by an independent funeral director with trained staff, vehicles, professional premises and mortuary facilities – not transported around the country to fit a centralised process.
Best Direct Cremation from £1,499
Clear pricing. No hidden extras. Local professional care.
Call us any time on 0333 242 1405 - we're here to help
What is a direct cremation funeral service?
1 out of every 5 funerals in the UK is now a direct cremation. But is a direct cremation right for you?
A direct cremation is often described as a simple cremation without a funeral service or ceremony at the crematorium.
One of the main reasons families choose direct cremation is that, without a formal service, it removes a lot of complexity and cost. It gives you the freedom to take time, reflect, and remember your loved one in your own way.
Some families choose to hold a memorial or celebration of life later – perhaps somewhere that holds special meaning. Others prefer a direct cremation simply because it feels right for them, without a large ceremony or the expense that often comes with a traditional funeral.
There’s no right or wrong choice – only what feels right for you.
What’s important to understand is that while the service itself is simple, delivering it properly is not.
Your loved one still needs to be collected, cared for, and prepared for cremation by trained professionals. That requires specialist vehicles, proper facilities, and climate-controlled mortuary care. There is also legal paperwork to complete and clear processes that must be followed.
On the day of the cremation, you want to know it is carried out with dignity – and that the ashes are returned to you with care and respect.
Best Direct Cremation brings all of that together. We keep the service simple, while making sure your loved one is cared for by a proper local independent funeral director, based close to home – typically within a short drive of your address. So, even though the service is simple, the care never is. This is not always the case with national direct cremation companies.
What is a direct cremation funeral service?
1 out of every 5 funerals in the UK is now a direct cremation. But is a direct cremation right for you?
A direct cremation is often described as a simple cremation without a funeral service or ceremony at the crematorium.
One of the main reasons families choose direct cremation is that, without a formal service, it removes a lot of complexity and cost. It gives you the freedom to take time, reflect, and remember your loved one in your own way.
Some families choose to hold a memorial or celebration of life later – perhaps somewhere that holds special meaning. Others prefer a direct cremation simply because it feels right for them, without a large ceremony or the expense that often comes with a traditional funeral.
There’s no right or wrong choice – only what feels right for you.
What’s important to understand is that while the service itself is simple, delivering it properly is not.
Your loved one still needs to be collected, cared for, and prepared for cremation by trained professionals. That requires specialist vehicles, proper facilities, and climate-controlled mortuary care. There is also legal paperwork to complete and clear processes that must be followed.
On the day of the cremation, you want to know it is carried out with dignity – and that the ashes are returned to you with care and respect.
Best Direct Cremation brings all of that together. We keep the service simple, while making sure your loved one is cared for by a proper local independent funeral director, based close to home – typically within a short drive of your address. So, even though the service is simple, the care never is. This is not always the case with national direct cremation companies.
Know You're In Great Care
When you arrange a Best Direct Cremation, you are not choosing a logistics-led operation that purely delivers cremations from a centralised hub.
You are choosing a provider that takes responsibility for how your service is delivered – and guarantees that your loved one will be cared for and cremated locally, by a proper funeral professional.
Every Best Direct Cremation is delivered by one of our Best Funeral Directors, personally chosen by us for their professionalism, facilities, and reputation for outstanding funeral care.
Every Best Funeral Director must meet our highest standards, which includes:
- Proven local expertise Well-established in their community, with experience of supporting thousands of families over many years.
- Professional premises and facilities Dedicated funeral homes with their own mortuary facilities and exceptional operational standards – checked and verified by us.
- Fully trained, experienced funeral professionals People who treat every family with dignity, compassion, and care.
- Recognised professional accreditation Verified members of professional bodies such as the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) or the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF).
By choosing Best Direct Cremation, you’re choosing a service delivered locally by a highly regarded independent funeral director – and you’ll know you’re in great care.
When you arrange a Best Direct Cremation, you are not choosing a logistics-led operation that purely delivers cremations from a centralised hub.
You are choosing a provider that takes responsibility for how your service is delivered – and guarantees that your loved one will be cared for and cremated locally, by a proper funeral professional.
Every Best Direct Cremation is delivered by one of our Best Funeral Directors, personally chosen by us for their professionalism, facilities, and reputation for outstanding funeral care.
Every Best Funeral Director must meet our highest standards, which includes:
- Proven local expertise
Well-established in their community, with experience of supporting thousands of families over many years. - Professional premises and facilities
Dedicated funeral homes with their own mortuary facilities and exceptional operational standards – checked and verified by us. - Fully trained, experienced funeral professionals
People who treat every family with dignity, compassion, and care. - Recognised professional accreditation
Verified members of professional bodies such as the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) or the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF).
By choosing Best Direct Cremation, you’re choosing a service delivered locally by a highly regarded independent funeral director – and you’ll know you’re in great care.
Why families choose Best Direct Cremation and not national providers
Families often don’t realise how differently national direct cremation providers operate. Here’s the difference with Best Direct Cremation:
- BEST DIRECT CREMATIONS
- Delivered by a proper, local Funeral Director
- Respectful care, close to your home
- Accredited funeral director with high professional standards
- A dignified cremation, using a local crematorium
- Transparent pricing and clear value
- NATIONAL DIRECT CREMATION PROVIDERS
- Delivered using centralised logistics and call centres
- Driven hundreds of miles to a central 'mega mortuary'
- Unaccredited by national funeral bodies SAIF or NAFD
- Can be cremated miles away at a large 'super-crematorium'
- Uses headline pricing with multiple add-on expenses
Only with Best Direct Cremation can you be assured that the care and cremation will be delivered locally, by a trusted, independent funeral director.
Call now to arrange a Best Direct Cremation
Direct Cremation from £1,499
A Best Direct Cremation is a simple, affordable funeral, that can save you more than £3,000* compared to the average cost of a traditional attended funeral.
It removes the formal ceremony, but with Best, it does not remove the professional care.
Unlike some direct cremation providers, we don’t rely on low headline prices achieved through centralised processes or reduced standards. Every Best Direct Cremation is delivered locally by a proper independent funeral director, with professional facilities and trained staff.
Our pricing is clear and upfront. There are no hidden extras, and no compromises on care.
*Source: Sunlife Cost of Dying Report 2026 – average cost of a traditional attended funeral is £4,510
What's included in a Best Direct Cremation
Our direct cremation service includes everything needed to care for your loved one with dignity and respect:
- All Funeral Director fees – covering their time, care and support
- Collection of the person who has died from a hospital or coroner’s mortuary – anywhere else will require a Priority Care collection, which is an extra £250.
- Care and attention in a professional local mortuary
- A suitable coffin for cremation
- Full support with all legal paperwork and administration
- Cremation at a local crematorium
- Ashes returned to you or scattered on your behalf
This is a complete, professionally delivered direct cremation service.
What is not included in a Best Direct Cremation?
Direct cremation does not include an attended service or ceremony at the crematorium. It also does not include viewing of the deceased, embalming, memorial arrangements, formal notices, or alternative ashes urns.
However, if before the cremation takes place you decide you would like more of a funeral service, your local Best Funeral Director, can help adapt your arrangements (for the appropriate fee) – something that is just not possible with national direct cremation providers, as they do not offer full funeral services.
Are there any additional fees that could be applied?
The only additional fee that Best Direct Cremation may apply is if a Priority Care collection is required to bring someone in to care.
Most people die in hospital, where they are cared for in a hospital mortuary. This means they can remain there safely until collection takes place during normal working hours.
If someone dies at home, or a care home, there is usually a requirement to collect them promptly, as these settings do not have mortuary facilities.
With Best Direct Cremation, a Priority Care collection fee of £250 is required whenever the person who’s died is not at a hospital or coroners mortuary.
If Priority Care collection is required, we will always explain this clearly before anything happens.
Can additional services be added on to a Best Direct Cremation?
Typically, a direct cremation is fixed and no additional services can be added. However, as we use trusted local funeral directors, should you wish to purchase a memorial or an alternative urn for ashes for example, then this may be possible. You will be able to speak to your funeral director to make specific arrangments directly with them.
If you change your mind and do want additional services, such as viewing or a small service, then you can speak to your funeral director about changing to a more traditional funeral service.
How do I arrange a Best Direct Cremation?
Call our caring team on 0333 242 1405 and they will talk you through everything you need to do.
What to expect with a Best Direct Cremation
1.
Call Best Direct Cremation
Call us at any time, day or night, to start your funeral arrangements. The Best team will support and guide you through everything.
2.
Local funeral care
The local Best Funeral Director will respectfully take your loved one into their care and prepare them for cremation at their funeral home.
3.
Funeral arrangements
Our expert funeral directors will support you with all the necessary paperwork and handle the practical arrangements for the cremation.
4.
A local cremation takes place
The coffin is driven to a local crematorium in a proper funeral vehicle, where a dignified cremation is carried out.
5.
Return of ashes
The ashes can be scattered at the crematorium, or they are returned to you for you to scatter or arrange a lasting memorial.
What happens to the ashes after the cremation?
Every family is different. For some, as they didn’t have a formal service, they choose to arrange a gathering of friends and family for a memorial or celebration of life at a favourite location with the ashes present.
Longer term – some people choose to have a lasting memorial – which could be a decorative urn that you keep at home, or it could be a headstone with the ashes buried. You may choose to scatter the ashes at a memorable location, or have them turned into some jewellery. There are a lot of choices you could make.
Because your Best Direct Cremation is delivered by a local independent funeral director, they can help with any memorials you may wish to arrange.
Local care, Nationwide
Best Direct Cremation is built around a growing network of independent funeral directors – carefully chosen by us for their professionalism, facilities and standards of care.
We are continuing to expand our network across the UK. At the moment, we can offer Best Direct Cremation services in the areas shown on the map, where we have trusted Best Funeral Directors in place.
If you’re unsure whether we currently cover your area, please call us. We’ll confirm straight away whether we can help you, and talk you through the options available to you.
As our network grows, more families across the UK will be able to access the same level of local, professional care.
Call now to check availability in your area
What to do when someone dies.
For most people, when they need to arrange a funeral, it will be for the first time. It’s a difficult thing to take on when you know nothing about what you’re supposed to do – especially at a time when you’re likely to be bewildered, upset and dealing with grief.
We’ve created a simple guide of some of the things you will need to do and some of the decisions you will need to make.
Funeral help and guidance
There are a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to funerals and direct cremation. A good funeral director will be able to answer them all. For those that would rather read and understand more without speaking to anyone, we have written several help and advice articles that provide some answers.