Arranging a Funeral
When a loved one dies, you can suddenly find yourself faced with so much to think about - just when it is so very hard to think. We are here to offer advice, whatever your decisions and wishes may be.You may just want to give us a call. Or you may like to have a look at options and ideas outlined on this page.
For those whose preferred or first language is British Sign Language, we have a Volunteer BSL Communication Support Worker who is sometimes available.
When thinking about funeral arrangements that make sense for a nature-lover, for someone who strived to be eco-friendly, caring for the natural world, you may be interested in our sustainability choices chart. This offers guidance so you can make decisions that are best for the planet.
Sun Rising's Simple Funeral Arrangement Service
At Sun Rising you don't need to use a funeral director - you can use our simple arrangement service instead. For those who would like a simple funeral, or would just like to avoid the traditional feel of a funeral led by a funeral director, we can do all the essentials from collecting your loved one to the burial itself. Our simple funerals are stress-free, graceful, family-oriented and much more affordable. About half our families choose this option.
We have a range of ethical coffins, from cardboard to English willow. We can also offer shroud burials. We can provide a simple black hearsette, or our own VW van, or help a family if they'd like to bring the coffin to Sun Rising themselves.
If a family would like a celebrant, flowers, music, we can give guidance. Where family or friends would like to act as bearers, carrying the coffin to the graveside or using our coffin bier, we can walk them through, step by step.
If you are considering our simple service, please do get in touch. We can either speak on the telephone, meet at the burial ground, or (if you are not far away) arrange a home visit. We can provide you with an estimate based on your own specific needs and wishes, and we can walk each step of the way with you, providing exactly the amount of support that feels right. And if it becomes clear that the services of a funeral director would in fact be useful, we can help the family choose the firm that is right for them and their needs.
Using a Funeral Director
Using a funeral director will give you a much wider range of services than we can provide, such as the option of viewing your loved one in an open casket in a chapel of rest, or having the coffin in church before a committal at Sun Rising. A funeral director will also offer a traditional hearse, limousines and printed orders of service. If you do decide to use a funeral director, we would still encourage you to come to Sun Rising, where we can talk through the flow of the funeral, ascertain which facilities you would like to use and how else we can support you. You will also be able to choose the plot.
Although we can't recommend any one in particular, we offer here a list of funeral directors local to Sun Rising. Those marked * have organised funerals at the burial ground. Those with more than one * use us regularly.
* Allen and Sons
Independent funeral director
London Road, Moreton in Marsh, GL56 0AF
01608 650633
www.allenfunerals.co.uk/
* Julie Sullivan Funerals
Independent Funeral Director
High Street, Moreton in Marsh, GL56 0AF
01608 637430
sullivanfunerals.co.uk/
* WJ Wright Funeral Directors
Independent funeral director
High Street, Bourton on the Water, GL54 2AP
Church Street, Stow on the Wold, GL54 1BB
01451 810700
www.wjwrightsfunerals.co.uk
* John White Funeral Directors
Independent funeral director
188 Watling Street East, Towcester, NN12 6DP
01327 359266
www.johnwhitefunerals.co.uk
** A L Sole and Sons
Independent funeral director
Choice Hill Lane, Over Norton, Chipping Norton OX7 5PP
01608 644112
** Edd Frost and Daughters
Independent funeral director
14 Canada Close, Banbury, OX16 2RT
01295 404004
www.eddfrostanddaughters.co.uk
* Funeralcare (Banbury)
Run by Co-op Funeralcare
122 Middleton Road, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX16 4QU
01295 272207
** Humphris Funeral Services
Run by Funeral Partners
32 Albert Street, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX16 5DG
01295 265424
https://humphrisfunerals.co.uk
*** R Locke and Sons
Independent funeral director
Caution Corner, Castle Hill Lane, Brailes, Oxfordshire OX15 5AZ
01608 685274
www.rlockeandson.co.uk
* Reeves and Pain
Run by Dignity Funerals
22 Fairfax Centre, Kidlington, Oxfordshire OX5 2PB
01865 371159
The Individual Funeral Company
Independent funeral director
86 Rose Hill, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX4 4HX
01865 714130
www.theindividualfuneralcompany.co.uk
** A E Bennett and Sons
Independent funeral director
34 Sheep Street, Stratford upon Avon, CV37 6EE
01789 267 035
* The Co-operative Funeral Services
Run by Co-op Funeralcare
38 Bilton Road, Rugby, CV22 7AL
01788 576 099
* D B Devall Funeral Services
Independent funeral director
2 Wembrook House, The Green, Attleborough, Nuneaton, CV11 4JZ
024 7637 5665
www.dbdevall.co.uk
* H J Dawson
Run by Dignity Funerals
22 George Street, Leamington Spa, CV31 1ET
01926 427464
www.dignityfunerals.co.uk
* W Goodwin and Sons
Independent funeral director
38 Coventry Street, Southam, CV47 0EP
01926 812445
* Hemming and Peace
Run by Funeral Partners
1A Brewery Street, Stratford upon Avon, CV37 0BQ
01789 205400
www.hemmingandpeace.co.uk
* Henry Ison and Son
Run by Funeral Partners
2 Leam Terrace, Leamington Spa, CV31 1BB
01926 339 444
22 Warwick Road, Kenilworth, CV8 1HE
01926 258626
www.henryison.co.uk/
*** R Locke and Sons
Independent funeral director
The Precinct, School Road, Wellesbourne, CV35 9NL
01789 840744
www.rlockeandson.co.uk
* A Pargetter and Sons
Independent funeral director
City Mews, Lamb Street, Coventry, CV1 4AE
0247 622 3343
** John Taylor Funeral Services
Run by Co-op Funeralcare
1 - 3 Russell Terrace, Leamington Spa, CV31 1EZ
01926 426 052
www.mylocalfuneraldirector.co.uk
(also in Kenilworth, Warwick and Rugby)
* W G Rathbones
Run by Dignity Funerals
30 Clarendon Avenue, Leamington Spa, CV47 0EP
01926 425331
www.dignityfunerals.co.uk
(also in Warwick)
* A Natural Undertaking
Independent funeral director
0121 444 0437 / 07986 423146
www.anaturalundertaking.co.uk
J Deeley and Son Funeral Directors
Independent funeral director
322 - 324 Kenilworth Road
Balsall Common, Coventry CV7 7ER
01676 534 237
* Dean Harper Funeral Directors
Independent funeral director
21 Lichfield Street, Walsall WS1 1TJ
01922 638855
www.deanharperfuneraldirectors.co.uk
* A B Taylors
Independent funeral director
49, Wolverhampton Rd South, Quinton, Birmingham B32 2AY
0121 434 4340
* V Morton and Sons
Independent funeral director
705 Bristol Road South, Birmingham B31 2JJ
0121 476 9111
* Thomas Brothers
Independent funeral director
494 Evesham Road, Redditch, B97 5JF
01527 547777
Funeralcare (Evesham)
Run by Co-op Funeralcare
30 Swan Lane, Evesham, WR11 4PD
01386 446188
www.co-operativefuneralcare.co.uk
Huntleys Funeral Services
Owned by Funeral Partners
58 Ipsley Street, Redditch, B98 7AE
01527 62106
12 Feckenham Road, Astwood Bank, Redditch, B96 6DS
01527 892900
www.huntleysfunerals.co.uk/
DIY Funerals
Some families wish to organise the funeral entirely by themselves, buying the coffin, laying out and bringing their loved one to the burial ground under their own steam. At Sun Rising, we can give guidance and support for fully DIY funerals, ascertaining where help or additional services may be needed, and providing these with discretion and sensitivity. If you are interested in looking into this, you may like the Home Funeral Network.
Embalming
Because embalming (or 'hygienic treatment') and its use of toxic chemicals is very seldom necessary, and because our ethos is to protect the environment and help the nature reserve to thrive, we regret that we are unable to accept embalmed bodies for burial at Sun Rising Natural Burial Ground. Similar policies are held by nearly all natural burial grounds.
The only time where we would bend our rules is where the deceased has been through a postmortem, or repatriation, and preserving chemicals may have necessarily been used. Get in touch with us if you have any queries.