Funeral - independent | Scarborough Borough Council

Funeral - independent

Advice and information on how to organise a funeral without the use of a funeral director.

How to arrange a funeral

Most people use the services of a Funeral Director who organises the funeral by collecting and removing the body, arranging embalming and viewing of the deceased, providing a coffin, hearse and other vehicles. They will also contact the crematorium, clergy and doctors to ensure that all necessary arrangements are made, as well as the newspaper if you wish to have an obituary notice published.

There is no reason why you should not make all the arrangements yourself, including the provision of a ‘coffin’ and transportation of the deceased to the crematorium.

Copies of all the necessary forms are available from the crematorium and the staff will be happy to assist you in arranging their completion.

The death must be registered

Today most deaths occur in hospital or at home after an illness and the deceased has usually been attended by a medical practitioner who can certify the cause of death and issue a notification of the cause of death which needs to be taken to the Registrar of Births and Deaths so that the death can be registered. The majority of Registrars now operate an appointment system and it will be necessary to arrange a suitable appointment.

The Registrar of Births and Deaths will issue a Certificate for Burial or Cremation which should be forwarded to the crematorium or cemetery/churchyard administrator.

Where the death is caused by an accident or the deceased has not been attended by a medical practitioner, i.e. within 14 days prior to death, it will be necessary for the cause of death to be ascertained. This is done by a Coroner who will investigate the circumstances surrounding the death and then issue a notification of the cause of death which is transmitted to the Registrar of Births and Deaths. The Coroner will issue a Coroners Order for Cremation or a Coroners Order for Burial.

Cremation

Cremation services may take place at Woodlands Crematorium, Monday to Friday between the hours of 9.20am and 2.40pm at 40-minute intervals and should be booked with the crematorium at least three working days in advance. It will be necessary to inform the hospital or medical practitioner who last attended the deceased that a cremation is to take place. The medical practitioner will then complete a statutory Form B setting out the cause of death and other circumstances surrounding the death. This Form B will then be passed to another qualified medical practitioner who will examine the body and complete a confirmatory certificate known as Form C before arranging for both forms to be delivered to the crematorium. There is a charge for the completion of both of these forms.

Where the Coroner has been involved in establishing the cause of death and has issued a Coroners Order for Cremation Forms B and C mentioned above are not required.

You will need to sign a statutory Application for Cremation (Form A) in the presence of another person who will be required to certify that you are known to them and that they have no reason to doubt the answer given to any of the questions on the form.

The crematorium will also need written instructions for the service and disposal of the cremated remains. All statutory forms, including the Coroners Order for Cremation or the Registrars Certificate for Cremation or Burial, must be delivered to the crematorium by no later than 10.00am on the working day prior to the funeral service.

The full service, which will last approximately 25 minutes, can take place in the crematorium chapel or part of the service can be held in your own church with only a short committal ceremony being held at the crematorium. Should you wish to have a longer service or expect a large number of people to attend, it is possible to arrange for additional time on payment of a small charge.

As an alternative, the full service may be held in your own church and the coffin brought for cremation with no further ceremony. In this case the coffin will still be brought into the chapel and be placed on the catafalque before entering the crematory.

Whichever option is chosen it will be necessary to consult the officiating minister to ensure that the appointment is suitable to all parties.

It is not necessary to use a hearse to bring the coffin to the crematorium. People arranging personalised funerals often use their own estate cars or hire a van in lieu of the traditional hearse. Similarly you may use a biodegradable (cardboard) coffin instead of the usual chipboard coffin if you wish.

Interment

Interments in the council cemeteries may take place Monday to Friday between the hours of 9.30am and 3.00pm. The cemeteries are administered through the office at Woodlands Crematorium, who should be contacted as soon as possible.

You will need to complete an Application for Interment Form and provide the Registrars Certificate for Cremation or Burial, or the Coroners Order for Burial. If the family already has the Exclusive Right of Burial in a grave, the appropriate grave details, and if available the Grave Deed, must be provided to the cemetery office.

In order to allow sufficient time to prepare the grave, three working days notice is required before the service.

The funeral service can be conducted at the graveside, in a place of worship or, if the interment is in Scarborough, the chapel at Woodlands Crematorium.

The coffin for burial can be traditional, biodegradable (cardboard) or made of other biodegradable material such as woven willow.

As with cremation the use of traditional hearse and limousines could be dispensed with and alternative vehicles used for the journey to the cemetery.