Funeral Services
Guiding You Through Every Step with Care and Compassion
At Jeremy Rule Funeral Service, we offer a wide range of funeral options tailored to reflect the life and wishes of your loved one. Below you'll find detailed information on the services we provide and the support we offer throughout the process.
Arranging the Funeral
When the time comes to make the funeral arrangements, we as funeral directors are here to take you through every step. Our aim is to make this difficult & emotional task as stress-free as possible. We are always ready to discuss all the options available to you so that you will be able to give your loved one the funeral that is most suitable to their memory and your wishes.
It is important that you have confidence in the funeral director you decide to use. We are members of The Society of Allied & Independent Funeral Director (SAIF) and both Jeremy & Ben are holders of the Diploma of Funeral Directing, set by the National Association of Funeral Directors.
We want to provide the service that your loved one deserves. We recommend that you take a few moments to sit and think exactly what form you and your family would want the funeral to take. For instance, will you be wishing to have a burial or cremation? Who will you want to take the service — a minister of religion, a humanist celebrant or a family member? Where will you be wanting to hold the service?
All these decisions and others can be discussed in more detail during the arrangement and we can answer any questions you may have. If there is anything of which you are uncertain, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to you, please get in touch. Almost anything is possible, and it may be that just a minor alteration to the arrangements will make the world of difference to you and your family on the day of the funeral.
Before making any arrangements, it is always best to check that the person who has died has not left any instructions with regard to their funeral — check with close family members or the deceased’s solicitor.
Arrangements can either be made in the comfort of your own home or within our office. Having made the arrangements, you will receive an itemised written estimate. We will confirm all arrangements by telephone and letter as soon as we are able.
Visiting Our Chapel of Rest
One decision you will have to make is whether you and your family will want to pay your last respects to your loved one with a visit to our Chapel of Rest.
For some people this decision is not an easy one to make: will the experience be a comfort to you or add to the pain? There are no easy answers, but we will listen to your worries and try to advise you to the best of our abilities. Only you, however, can make the decision.
Our Chapel of Rest is completely private and you can spend as much time with your loved one as you want or need. If you feel uncomfortable or nervous about entering the Chapel, we will come in with you and stay with you if you want.
You can visit the Chapel at any time by appointment: we ask you to ring first so that we will be able to give you our undivided attention during your visit.
Cremation
The Royston area is served by several crematoria, all of which offer similar facilities in peaceful, pleasant surroundings.
Traditionally, the crematorium at Cambridge is the most frequently used by families in Royston; however, with population movements, the crematoria at Stevenage or Cam Valley (Great Chesterford) may be more appropriate to your family’s needs.
You may feel that you would wish to visit the crematoria to see the facilities available before making a final decision — this is usually possible, though an appointment with a member of staff is normally required.
Contact Numbers:
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Cambridge Crematorium: 01223 458014
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Stevenage Crematorium: 01438 815555
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Cam Valley Crematorium: 01799 533160
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North Hertfordshire Crematorium (Hitchin): 01462 428400
We offer a nationwide service, so any arrangements can be made for anywhere in the U.K.
Direct Cremation
More and more people are specifying that when they die, their bodies are simply to be cremated with no ceremony or service. This is sometimes known as direct cremation.
We are therefore able to offer an extremely simple service to anyone who requests this, please note, this service is as set out below and cannot be altered:
Bringing the person who has died into our care from a local place of death during normal office
hours (up to 20 running miles allowed).
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Our professional services and making all the arrangements for the cremation.
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The supply of a very simple, standard-sized, coffin suitable for cremation.
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Transport of the deceased to the crematorium in a dignified manner to a local crematorium at a time and date of our choosing.
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Collection of the cremated remains from the crematorium, if requested
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Unattended Cremation fee included.
Please note, direct cremations do not include dressing of the deceased in their own clothes or use of our chapel of rest for viewing.
Once the arrangements have been made, we will arrange for the cremation to proceed and inform you once it has taken place.
Cost £ 1700.00
If the death & collection of deceased occurs outside usual business hours, there will be an additional charge of £245-00p
Payment in full due with order.
Cremated Remains
Following a cremation, there are a number of options for the final resting place for the cremated remains.
You may decide to have the ashes scattered within the crematorium gardens of remembrance. The site will be recorded in the crematorium records, and it is possible at some crematoria to have a permanent memorial somewhere at the crematorium. (Be aware, in most cases, the actual plot cannot be marked with a memorial within crematorium gardens.)
Some families decide they would like to keep the ashes at home. We offer a wide selection of suitable urns, caskets, etc. It is also now possible to have some of the ashes made into items of jewellery, incorporated into glassware, or placed within specially made ornaments — details and literature are available at our office.
You may decide that you would like the ashes to be interred within a family grave or in a new ashes burial plot, which are now available in most cemeteries and churchyards. We are happy to make arrangements for the burial of ashes and would be pleased to provide advice on any of these options.
Burial
It is the right of every person to be buried, if that is their wish.
Royston cemetery, which is owned and run by the North Herts District Council, is now closed for new full body burials (cremated remains plots are still available). Royston residents have a right of burial at the new North Herts municipal cemetery at Wilbury Hills, Letchworth Garden City.
Most villages have their own facilities for burial, either within a churchyard or parish cemetery. Please note that if the only available place for burial within your parish is a churchyard, you will be required to have a funeral led by a minister of religion. For those of no religion, a woodland burial may be a more appropriate option.
Non-residents can apply to be buried within any churchyard or cemetery, although usually extra charges are involved. Decisions are normally made quickly by the relevant burial authority.
Memorials
At the time of making arrangements for a funeral, it is not always easy or necessary to determine what your future memorial requirements will be.
In the case of existing memorials, it will probably be necessary to remove the headstone from the grave prior to the funeral.
When the funeral has taken place, it can be some months — depending on the condition of the ground — before the grave will be ready to take the original headstone or a new one.
During this period of settlement, it is recommended where possible that the monumental masons remove the memorial back to their yard for safe keeping. This also reduces costs in the longer term should the memorial require additional inscriptions.
Coffins
We are able to offer a wide selection of coffins in many different styles to suit all tastes. Our range includes traditional styles as well as bamboo, cardboard, willow, coloured or painted, Italian style, and American caskets.
For more details about these and their costs, please contact our office.
Alternative & “Green” Funerals
We are happy to provide help to people wishing to take a greater part in organising funerals themselves. We can advise on completion of formalities and paperwork, provide transport and storage only, or simply supply a coffin.
We can provide a range of eco-friendly coffins and caskets, which are manufactured from recycled or sustainable resources.
In recent years, a number of ‘woodland’ cemeteries have been set up in the area — the nearest being at Barton, Cambs. These are specifically designed to allow burials to take place in a more natural setting. We would always recommend you visit such a site before making an arrangement to ensure it meets your wishes. It should be remembered that most woodland cemeteries do not allow any permanent form of memorial over the grave and have restrictions in the types of coffin they allow.
Woodland Burial Contacts:
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The Arbory Trust, Barton: 01223 303874
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Epping Forest Burial Park: 0845 6033714 / www.woodlandburialparks.co.uk