Has someone you love recently been cremated?

Whilst the funeral directors here at Brunel Funeral Directors will notify you when the ashes are ready to be collected from the funeral home, you and your family will be faced with the important decision of what to do with them.

If you’re unsure about what to do with your loved one’s remains, read on to find out about some of the most popular options for commemorating their life.

Scatter them

Most people opt to scatter their loved one’s ashes in a meaningful place – whether it be somewhere they visited as a child, a favourite holiday destination or in the same spot as family members who have gone before them.

Below are just a few of the places you can scatter them.

• On private land

You will need to ask the landowner for permission first but ashes can be scattered in private gardens and fields.

Bear in mind that, if you move house later down the line, you won’t have the right to visit that land – even if your loved one’s remains were scattered there.

• Up mountains and hills

A beautiful resting place for those who loved being outdoors would be on a hill or mountain, at a National Park or along a coastal path – setting them free to be at one with nature.

The ecosystems near the top of mountains can be fragile, so make sure you go for a private spot lower down. And make sure you face upwind if you’re scattering them on a particularly windy day.

• In water bodies

Lakes, rivers, streams and beaches are also tranquil spots to scatter a beloved family member or friend’s cremation ashes.

You don’t usually need to ask for permission, but it’s worth double-checking with the Environment Agency where the extraction points are. Try to avoid entry and exit points and stretches that are used by swimmers and fishermen, too.

• At sporting venues

Did your loved one have a favourite sports team? If so, why not scatter the ashes in their happy place?

Whether it’s a football stadium, rugby ground, cricket field, horse racing course or athletics track, our funeral directors should be able to find out what the club’s policy is on scattering cremation ashes on the pitch or somewhere else on their grounds.

• From a parachute

Mark an extraordinary life in an extraordinary way by scattering your departed friend or family member’s ashes during a tandem skydive.

You’ll be provided with a parachute and take an aircraft up to approximately 13,000ft. Then, falling at 120mph, your instructor will open the parachute at 5,00ft and you’ll descend back to the ground, scattering the ashes from a special pod along the way.

Bury them

It’s common to bury cremated ashes in a grave, either in a churchyard, the cemetery grounds, a garden of remembrance at the crematorium or a woodland burial site. Some people even choose to bury them in the garden at their family home, keeping their loved ones close by.

When burying ashes at a cemetery, you can bury them directly into the ground. Or you can put them into an urn or casket before placing them in a burial plot.

If you’re going to bury your loved one’s remains in a grave, you’ll need a Certificate of Authority for Burial, which is usually obtainable from your local registry office. Funeral directors will need to complete the relevant form and return it to the registry office within four days.

Keep them

If you and your family are torn on where to scatter the ashes of the dear departed, it’s worth keeping hold of them in a scatter tube. These provide a convenient and secure solution for transporting ashes to a special spot for dispersing.

Alternatively, keeping ashes in the home can be comforting and help you to still feel connected to your loved one. Storing their ashes in an urn will ensure their legacy lives on and make them an eternal part of your life. Displaying an urn in your home is also a special way to pass memories down from one generation to the next.

We stock a wide selection of cremation urns here at Brunel Funeral Directors – including traditional wooden caskets that you may decide to get engraved and decorative round and square leaf urns.

Turn them into jewellery

Memorial jewellery is a lovely way to feel close to a loved one again.

Whether you opt for a necklace, bracelet or ring, only a tiny amount of their ashes is required to create a beautiful keepsake – meaning you can either scatter the rest, place them in an urn or choose a meaningful spot to bury them in.

We also provide fingerprint jewellery in silver, gold and rose gold at our funeral home, which is perfect for capturing the dear departed’s fingerprint and immortalising it forever.

Want to discuss your requirements in more detail?

The team at Brunel Funeral Directors is always on hand to offer guidance and support.

Whether you have your own ideas on what you’d like to do with your loved one’s ashes, or you’d like to know more about the memorabilia we provide, you’re welcome to contact us at any time.

Simply give us a call on 0117 374 2002 or drop us an email at admin@brunelfd.co.uk. If you prefer, you can visit our warm and comfortable funeral home on the edge of Westbury on Trym.