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An important follow-up moment to consider with any cremation is the collecting of ashes. Collecting ashes is vital to some families, where others prefer to simply have the funeral director scatter them on their behalf. In this article we are going to discuss collecting ashes belonging to a loved one. We will consider who can collect ashes; any legal matters to consider; and what to think about when keeping ashes at home.
We’d also just like to say that, if you’ve been brought to this article because you’ve been facing a difficult time recently, we recognise the potential complexity of your situation. Aura is here to help, whether you’re looking to organise a funeral in the short-term; your own funeral in the future; or you need to collect the ashes of a loved one who has been in our care.
Key Takeaways
As part of the cremation process, the person being cremated is turned to ash. It takes 1–3 hours to fully cremate a body, depending on the size of the body. They burn the coffin at a cremation too, so the size of the coffin and type of material it is made from can also impact how long it takes. After cremation, and once the cremator has cooled to a safe temperature, the ashes are gathered with a special tool like a rake, and placed within a receptacle of some kind, such as an urn, or a scatter tube. The cremator is then thoroughly cleaned, ready for use again in the next cremation.
The ashes are gathered by a crematorium attendant, and they are cross referenced with the time of the cremation and identity markers from the coffin before it went into the cremator. This makes sure that the ashes can be correctly matched up with the person who has died, and their family can be sure they have received the ashes of their loved one.
Naturally, before a cremation can even legally go ahead, there is a lot of paperwork to be done, from cremation forms to registering the death. This paperwork, coordinated by the funeral director is also part of what allows the identity of the person who has died to be tracked at all times throughout the process, from the moment they are brought into the mortuary facilities of the director, to the moment their ashes are ready to return to the family.
One of the cremation forms that you will need to fill in before it can go ahead is called the ‘Application to Cremate’ form, or ‘Cremation Form 1’ (Form A1 in Scotland). In doing so, you will need to name the person who is going to come and collect the ashes later; if it isn’t going to be you, you can name someone else. When the named person comes to collect the ashes, they will then need to show some ID proving who they are, before the ashes can be collected.
The funeral director, if the crematorium is offsite, is authorised to collect the ashes of the person who has died. They might do this in order to process them as part of their service; for instance, Aura offers a hand-delivery option to the families of those who have received an Aura direct cremation. With that said, many people prefer to collect the ashes themselves directly from the crematorium. The person who signs the cremation form, or the one they have named in their stead, is the only one who is legally allowed to collect ashes from the crematorium, or from the funeral director. Normally, this person will be the next of kin of the person who has died, as that is normally who takes on the responsibility of getting the Death Certificate.
It’s sometimes the case that family disputes can arise over who should collect the ashes of a loved one. It’s an example of how a lack of end-of-life planning, and of how neglecting to talk about death and dying with our families before it’s too late can lead to familial problems and tension. If you should find when collecting ashes belonging to a family member that a dispute has arisen, you may be able to apply to the Chancery Division of the High Court, which can hear cases and decide on disputes relating to such matters. If you are in this position, then you may wish to seek legal advice as soon as you can, to get the fastest resolution possible.
If you are collecting the ashes of a loved one, either directly from the crematorium, or from the funeral director, then you will need to bring ID proving who you are. You will need to show that you are the named collector of the ashes on Cremation Form 1.
According to guidelines published by the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) in 2012, funeral directors need to hold onto unclaimed cremated remains for a period of five years. They need to make every effort to find the family of the person who has died, in order to help return the remains to them. If after this period nobody has come forward, in all likelihood, the ashes will be scattered by the funeral director or crematorium at a local Garden of Remembrance, preserving the dignity of the person who has died. The NAFD guidelines are not a legal requirement, but they are a voluntary industry conduct body driving higher standards of conduct and professionalism.
When collecting ashes in order to keep them at home, there are a few things to consider, from emotional and cultural perspectives to storage options.
There are a variety of different things that people do with the ashes of a loved one. For instance, there’s the practice of interment of ashes, and the increasingly popular idea of the ash scattering ceremony. However, one of the most popular cremation ashes ideas is to keep ashes at home. For some, scattering ashes is not a practical or desirable practice; instead, they may prefer to keep the remains of their loved one nearby. If keeping ashes at home, it’s normally preferred to display the urn (the vessel containing the ashes) somewhere prominent, such as on a mantlepiece in the main room. Naturally, if preferred, it could be kept in a private part of the house, too.
Cremation urns have been a part of the history of cremation for thousands of years, and they have always looked remarkably similar. However, nowadays, it’s becoming more customary to decorate and personalise such urns, to help them better reflect the person whose remains they contain. There are companies that can help you to design very creative and original urns, which you can display wherever you like.
There’s also an increasing demand for alternative funerals. In some cases, people like to have their ashes stored in a biodegradable urn which can be buried at a natural burial site, fused with the sapling of a new tree, thereby positively contributing to the environment in death.
The need may arise for transporting ashes, whether within the UK, or abroad.
There are no laws against the transport of ashes internally within the UK, however you may want to consider some precautions when doing so. For instance, the urn or scatter tube containing the ashes should be tightly sealed, and perhaps held in an outer storage box, if possible, or at least within a plastic bag. This should prevent any leaks from occurring, and if they do, the ashes will be prevented from spilling out where they shouldn’t be scattered.
You may also want to consider keeping a copy of the Death Certificate of the person who has died, and / or of their Cremation Form 1, which you can show to any police officer who might stop you and enquire about what you are doing. Again — there’s no law against travelling with ashes, whether with your own car or via public transport. But just to make things as convenient as possible for you, it could pay to be prepared (in fact, you may want to check with the transport provider to see if they have their own policies relating to the transport of ashes). Remember also to always ask the permission of the land-owner before you scatter ashes anywhere.
There’s no law against bringing ashes into the UK from outside of the country. But when travelling abroad, again, it pays to be prepared with all the paperwork that would show whose ashes they are, and how you are connected to that person. Make sure to research the customs and laws of the country you are travelling to regarding ashes, as well as any airline / airport policies for their international transit.
We hope you have found this article about collecting ashes useful. It can be a stressful thing to consider, especially if we are unsure of what to do with the ashes once we have collected them.
Aura is the top-rated national ‘Cremation Services’ provider on Trustpilot, with a rating of 4.9/5 stars. Our industry-leading Aura Angels have helped us to earn that outstanding score by offering their funeral arranging knowledge in a uniquely compassionate way. The level of care found in our service is hard for larger companies to match, as we are able to personalise our support to every single family. That goes for whether you need our direct cremation services for a funeral in the here and now, or whether you are thinking about your own future funeral via one of our prepaid funeral plans.
If you’d like to see whether Aura is the right company to help you get your funeral plan sorted, why not download our brochure today?
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