Will the funeral be burial or cremation? – A Burial can take place in either a single, double, or in some cemeteries, a triple depth grave, meaning other family members could be buried in the same grave together. Depending on the regulations for your chosen burial ground, you can have a headstone or other memorial on the grave, creating a lasting tribute and a focal point when visiting.

A Cremation will offer you more options for the final resting place of your loved one’s ashes. Following the cremation, the ashes will usually be collected on our behalf and returned to you when you are ready to receive them. You may then decide to keep the ashes at home, short, or long term and if you move away, the ashes can be taken with you; alternatively, you could have them interred into a grave plot, or scattered privately.

Ashes can be incorporated into pieces of jewellery or other tokens as a lasting keepsake. Alternatively, ashes can be left at the crematorium to be scattered in the Garden of Remembrance.

Will the service be religious, or non-religious? – A religious service would normally be led by the Minister or Officiant from the parish in which the deceased resided, and or, where they worshiped, or by a Funeral Celebrant; a non-religious service could be led by a Funeral Celebrant, Humanist, or family member.

Where would you like to hold the service? – Whether cremation or burial, religious or non-religious, a service could be held at the crematorium chapel. The crematorium chapel has the added benefits of having modern facilities such as a music system, digital screens for photos or videos and webcasting; there is ample parking and disabled access.

Other options would include the deceased’s usual place of worship, at the graveside or other venue such as a community hall.

What type of hearse would you like your loved one to be carried in? – This could be a standard motor hearse, a traditional horse drawn, or perhaps a specialized hearse – such as a VW camper van.

Who would you like to carry the coffin? – Unless otherwise requested, we will provide bearers to safely convey the coffin into the service location, and or graveside. The coffin will normally be carried on shoulders, but if deemed necessary, the coffin may be taken on wheeled biers. If requested, and where safe to do so, family bearers may carry the coffin instead. Please discuss this with your funeral director.

Would you like a limousine to take you to the service? – Each limousine seats 6 passengers in the back, and if needed, 1 in the front. The limousine can collect you from a local address and take you to the funeral service, usually following behind the hearse; after the service the limousine can either return you to the same address or take you on to your chosen venue for refreshments.

Where would you like the cortege to depart from? – The hearse can leave from the family home, or other local address, allowing family to travel behind the hearse to the service in the limousine, or own vehicles if a limousine is not requested; alternatively, you would meet the hearse at the funeral location.

Do you want to arrange a funeral wake / refreshments? – Some families choose to hold a funeral wake at a local venue so they can continue sharing memories with family and friends after the funeral. Often, families choose to make their own arrangements with the pub or venue, but should you wish, we can make the necessary arrangements on your behalf and include the costs on our invoice. If you have had a limousine, then we can arrange for the limousine to take you on to the venue should you wish.

Do you have a final resting place planned for the cremated remains? – With your permission, we collect your loved one’s ashes from the crematorium. Ashes can be returned to you within a couple of days, and are typically reunited with their loved one’s within one month, however, by special request, they can be held at our funeral home, free of charge, for up to one year.

As standard, the ashes come in a presentation box made of cardboard, however, should you wish, we can supply you with a scattertube, suitable for scattering the ashes privately, a wooden casket, for interring the ashes into a grave plot or keeping at home, or a decorative urn, for holding the ashes safely, whist being kept at home.

We can handle all the arrangements for interring ashes at the cemetery or churchyard should this be your wish.

Would you like the service webcasting (for a service held at the crematorium)? – We will make the necessary arrangements and provide you with a unique link and password a few days before the service for you to pass to family and friends who can’t attend.

Depending on the type of webcasting requested, the service can be watched live, or watched on demand for a limited period after the service. Some crematoriums / media providers can also provide a downloadable link for a lasting keepsake.

Please note, webcasting and recording incurs an additional charge, and facilities and charges vary from crematorium to crematorium, so please discuss your wishes with the funeral director.

Would you like the service recording (for a service held at the crematorium)? – We will book the service recording with the medial provider / crematorium on your behalf. Lasting keepsakes can be provided on a DVD or USB.

Please note, service recording incurs an additional charge, and facilities and charges vary from crematorium to crematorium, so please discuss your wishes with the funeral director.

Would you like the curtains closed around the coffin or left open (for cremation only)? – You might choose to keep the curtains open throughout the whole service so the coffin remains in view, and to allow you to go up to the coffin at the end of the service; alternatively, the curtains can be drawn closed during the committal, so the coffin is no longer in view.

What music would you like at the service? – Nowadays, the music chosen at a funeral will typically reflect the deceased’s musical taste and could be of any genre.

It is usual to have a piece of music on entry; either one or two hymns, or pieces of music during the service for reflection, and a piece on exit.

The music system at the crematorium has most well-known songs and hymns in its library for you to choose from and we will make the necessary arrangements.

Music choice can be limited if holding the service in a church and may need to be provided on a CD / USB. The officiant taking the service will advise you on suitable pieces of music and any requirements or restrictions.

Would you like to have a photograph of your loved one displayed during the service? – If desired, you can provide us with a framed photo which can be placed on, or near the coffin, during the service. If the service is at the crematorium, you can have a photo shown on the digital screen.

Would you like a digital photo tribute played during the service (for services held at the crematorium)? – If requested, we will book the tribute with the media provider and forward you the login in and password details. You will then be able to upload your chosen photos. A typical ‘slideshow’ / ‘pro-tribute’ will contain 25 photos. A ‘slideshow’ is usually played whilst listening to your chosen reflection music, but it is not timed with the music, so one may finish before the other. A ‘pro-tribute’ is timed and formatted to be played alongside your chosen music and will start and finish with the music.

Please note, digital tributes incur an additional charge, and facilities and charges vary from crematorium to crematorium, so please discuss your wishes with the funeral director.

Do you want to have donations collected for a charity? –Donations can also be sent to our funeral home and collected at the funeral service. Donations can be divided between two or more different charities if requested.

Would you like us to set up an online, tribute and donations page in memory of your loved one? – With your consent, we will set up a dedicated online tribute page that allows family and friends to share memories, upload photos, and to choose virtual gifts of condolences, easily accessed via our website; this gives family and friends a quick and simple way to make donations, and to add Gift Aid if applicable.

The tribute can include the service details, date, time and any special requests. If requested, we can also include the unique link providing access to the webcast, and a digital version of the Order of Service

Would you like to have flowers? – if requested, we can order your chosen floral tributes through one of our trusted florists, alternatively you can provide your own. If using your own florist, please ask them to deliver them to the funeral home. If you wish to make your own tribute, please discuss this with the funeral director so they can advise you on the size / shape of the display.

Following the service, you can choose to leave the flowers at the crematorium, place them on a family grave, or take them home with you.

Would you like an obituary/death notice placing in the newspaper? – This could be in the local newspaper, for example, the Derbyshire Times, and could include a photograph or design. We will make the necessary arrangements with the chosen publication and book the notice for your chosen date. We will support you to write the notice and forward you a proof of your chosen wording.

Please note, press notices vary in cost depending on the publication, and or, size of notice. Please discuss this with the funeral director.

Would you like to have Order of Service booklets / other condolence stationary?  – These could be a lasting tribute of your loved one for family and mourners to take home after the service or could be given to family and friends who weren’t able to attend the service. They could include photos, poems, and hymn words, and if desired, details for charity donations and an invite for refreshments after the service. You can choose from one of our pre-set designs or have a personalised theme based on a hobby or pastime.

Do you have any special requests? – You may wish to include special items as a tribute to your loved one, for example, if they were a football fan, you may want a football shirt on the top of the coffin, or if they were a keen golfer, you might like to have their golf clubs on display.

Perhaps they had a favourite colour, and it was their wish that everyone attending wears something of that colour. We are happy to offer assistance in preparing or displaying such items, or by asking our personnel to wear ties to match the colour theme, so please discuss any special wishes with the funeral director.

Would you like to use our private chapel of rest to pay your last respects? – Once your loved one has been settled into your chosen coffin, you will be contacted to arrange a suitable date and time for family visit and pay their respects. You could provide a framed photo which can be displayed in the chapel during your visit; you may also want to place some personal items, such as letters, cards, or flowers, into the coffin.

Please note, all viewing is by prior appointment.

What would you like your loved one to be dressed in? – We can dress your loved one in their own clothes as provided by you, this could be their favourite pair of pyjamas, their best suit, or their comfortable leisure wear, alternatively we can provide a simple shroud, free of charge, or we can provide a quailty satin or taffeta gown for a small cost.

What type of coffin would you like for your loved one? – Coffins are available in various materials, including wood veneer, painted wood (various colours), solid wood, cardboard, willow, seagrass, and other eco-friendly options. All coffins are suitable for burial or cremation.

Do you give consent for you loved one to be embalmed? – Embalming can be helpful to slow down and stabilise the natural changes that occur after a person has died, giving family and friends a longer window of opportunity to visit their loved ones to pay their respects.

The embalming fluid hydrates and plumps the skin and helps restore a natural colour. Embalming is a medical-type procedure, done by a fully qualified embalmer. Please note, embalming incurs an additional charge and will only be done if we think it beneficial and suitable, and with your prior consent.

Would you like us to take a digital fingerprint of your loved one? – upon your instruction, we can take a digital fingerprint from your loved one, and then if desired at a later point, the fingerprint can be engraved onto an item of jewellery or onto a keepsake from the Legacy Expressions range.

Would you like us to take a lock of hair from your loved one? – Upon your instructions, we can take a small lock of hair from your loved one. This is normally done after all viewing has taken place. Please note, if your loved one has very short, or balding hair, this may not be possible.