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We understand how important it is to know that the money you spend on a funeral plan is properly looked after. That's why at Distinct Cremations we take measures to ensure your money is kept safe, no matter what the future holds.

The UK’s largest direct cremation provider Independent customer service rating of 4.9/5 on Feefo A caring and attentive team here for you and your family 24/7 Nationwide provider operating throughout mainland GB
The UK’s largest direct cremation provider Independent customer service rating of 4.9/5 on Feefo A caring and attentive team here for you and your family 24/7 Nationwide provider operating throughout mainland GB

To comply with FCA requirements Distinct Funeral Plans Limited must:

  • Hold and invest money received into either an independent trust fund or life insurance policy
  • Have the accounts of the fund independently audited each year by a qualified accountant
  • Have the fund actuarially valued each year by an independent actuary to determine the ability of the fund to meet its obligations to plan holders
  • Ensure the trust is run by professional managing trustees, the majority of which must be independent of Distinct Funeral Plans Limited.
  • Maintain a minimum solvency in the fund of 110% of the fund's liabilities
  • Produce an annual Solvency Assessment Report (SAR) showing the level of solvency of the fund
  • Ensure that the money in the fund is managed by a FCA regulated investment manager
  • Provide detailed data and copies of the annual audited accounts and actuarial valuation to the FCA for review
  • In the event of a failure, plan holder funds are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme
Distinct Cremations

Every customer who takes out a funeral plan with Distinct Cremations is fully protected, whether you're paying with a single payment, over 12 months, 5 years or 10 years. Here's how we safeguard your money.

Paying with...

Single payment or 12 monthly payments

  • Funds from your funeral plan are held in a secure trust managed by trustees
  • Your money can only ever be used towards the cost of your funeral and nothing else
  • When the person for whom the plan is intended dies, we contact the trustees to request a withdrawal which is only approved after cremation arrangements have been made

Paying with...

Payments over 5 or 10 years

  • We purchase a 'whole of life' policy from Scottish Friendly - an authorised and regulated insurance provider - upon receipt of your payment
  • The proceeds of that policy will be used to pay for the funeral at the time of need
  • The policy proceeds are only paid out to Distinct Cremations after the funeral has taken place
Distinct Cremations

If you choose to pay for your Distinct Cremations funeral plan with either a single payment or over 12 monthly payments, the money you pay goes into the legally separate and independent Distinct Funeral Plans Trust. The Distinct Funeral Plans Trust is actively managed and formally audited and valued each year. The Solvency Assessment Report for 2023, which is produced by an independent actuary, was published on 22nd February 2024 and shows the trust is fully funded and has a solvency level of 130.5%, well above the amount it needs to cover all funeral plan costs.

As an added security for plan holders, Distinct Cremations is owned by the Westerleigh Group. The Westerleigh Group is the UK's largest independent cremation services provider. They have crematoriums across the UK and perform over 70,000 cremation services a year. The Westerleigh Group is there to perform the cremation services for Distinct Cremations plan holders.

The trust is independent

The Distinct Funeral Plans Trust is legally separate from Distinct Funeral Plans Limited. It is run by professional managing trustees, who ensure the primary beneficiaries, the funeral plan holders, interests are protected.

All monies are paid into the trust's bank account, which is held with Lloyd’s Bank plc. Royal London Asset Management, a leading UK FCA-regulated investment manager, carefully invests the funds so they grow with inflation. This allows us to guarantee we can cover the services included in your plan.

If Distinct Cremations were to go out of business, you may be entitled to claim compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if we cannot meet our obligations.

The trust is fully funded

The trust exists to hold and invest the money that plan holders pay. The managing trustees work with Distinct Cremations to ensure that there is enough money to cover the cost of every plan holder’s funeral. The trust’s financial records are reviewed annually by an independent auditor who checks that all the financial records are accurate and comply with laws and regulations.

An actuarial review is then undertaken, which is completed by Zenith Actuarial, who assess and report on the Trust’s ability to meet all its promises and obligations to plan holders from the money it holds. If the trust is 100% solvent, then it has enough money to cover the cost of every plan holder’s funeral. The actuary reported that the Distinct Funeral Plans Trust is 130.5% solvent, meaning it has more money than it needs to cover every plan holder’s funeral.

Our latest solvency report

A copy of our latest Solvency Assessment Report (SAR) is transparently available for you to read below.

Read now

The managing trustees are responsible for managing the money that plan holders pay and their primary responsibility is to protect the interests of funeral plan holders. The managing trustees are supported in their duties by various expert and professional advisers to ensure that the money is prudently invested in a low-risk manner.

Graeme McAusland

Independent Managing Trustee and Chair of the Trustees

Graeme is a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries and has more than 35 years’ experience in the financial sector. Graeme currently serves as Non-Executive Chair of Metfriendly and as a Non-Executive Director of The Medical Defence Union, where he chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. He was previously Chief Executive of The Children’s Mutual and Chief Executive of the Funeral Planning Authority.

Simon Richards

Independent Managing Trustee

Simon is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and has a long career in financial services with extensive knowledge of investment solutions involving managing assets against liabilities. Simon has been at Insight Investment for 15 years, where he currently serves as Head of Insurance Solutions. Prior to this Simon held senior actuarial roles at JP Morgan and NPI.

Distinct Cremations

When you purchase a funeral plan with Distinct Cremations by paying with payments over 5 or 10 years, we will purchase a whole of life insurance policy (which has no surrender or transfer value) from Scottish Friendly, where we are the beneficiary. Upon the death of the person for whom the cremation is for, Scottish Friendly will release the funds. Distinct Cremations will use this to cover the cost of the cremation promised.

Who are Scottish Friendly?

Scottish Friendly Assurance Society are a leading UK mutual life and investments organisation authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority.

Distinct Cremations' relationship with Scottish Friendly was established in 2022.

How is the money protected?

Scottish Friendly invest the money a customer pays in order to ensure there is enough to cover the cost of the funeral Distinct Cremations has promised to provide. Scottish Friendly will only release the funds from the Whole of Life policy once Distinct Cremations have been notified of the death of the person for whom the cremation is for.

If Distinct Cremations were to go out of business, you may be entitled to claim compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if we cannot meet our obligations.

Find out more about our funeral plans

A Distinct Cremations funeral plan gives you peace of mind knowing that funeral costs are covered and protected. Acceptance is guaranteed with no medical questions.

You can pay one payment from £1,899 or via monthly payments over 12 months, 5 years or 10 years. Read more about our funeral plans, what's included and the service we provide below.

View our funeral plans

What our customers say about us

We offer the highest level of support, but don't just take our word for it. Below are recent reviews from customers who bought a funeral with us.

4.9/5
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4.9/5
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4.8/5
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Anonymous, on Feefo 19 Dec 2024
perfect service thank you
Richard Ingram, on Google 18 Dec 2024
My wife and I decided to sort out our funeral arrangements we looked at various brochures phoned all the major company's .The best one we found was Distinct cremations not the cheapest but the best . The lady who dealt with me was so informative and patient . Everything was explained and all my questions were answered ,I didn't feel pushed into making a decision there and then .This company do really care I've never spoke to anyone in the industry with such knowledge of their company and such compassion when discussing what is a delicate and personal subject . We have recommended this company to my wife's sister and husband and they too have taken out a policy with them . Fully recommended
David Hanbury, on Google 12 Dec 2024
Excellent and caring communication via mail, email and phone. Very impressed with the courtesy and quality of service.
Earl Batty, on Google 12 Dec 2024
Upon deciding what future wishes I wanted I contacted distinct and spoke to a wonderful lady called Sarah Jordan who explained everything I needed to know regarding my future wishes in the most calming, stress free way, Sarah made the whole process feel so natural,where people may find this sort of thing quite a difficult subject to approach, Sarah has an undoubted ,reassuring quality about her and her calming and caring nature shone through like a lighthouse guiding the ship to port, very professional in her attitude and mindful of what the customer may or not need without the pushy type nature of a sales person selling a product, I was so grateful for the input I received and without doubt I would recommend this company for your future wishes to be taken care of, very competitively priced with so many different options to choose from,and also a good financial plan for spreading the cost that makes it manageable for your own personal choice,and most importantly someone who has a good idea of what you are going through but also the reassurance you need to make your final wishes and decisions when the time comes thanks Sarah
Lesley Williams, on Google 29 Nov 2024
Excellent service...Lovely people who deal with enquiries straight away. Would highly recommend
Nick Cotton, on Google 27 Nov 2024
Very friendly and helpful, no hard sales just answers any question you have and send you paperwork to read with application if you want. We called back and did paperwork on the phone for ease, also paid over the phone. They do this on a secure line too so details are not recorded. I am very happy with their sales team.
Anonymous, on Feefo 25 Nov 2024
All staff were wonderful and very caring. Very respectful made a hard time easy to talk about. My moms wedding rings she had 2 off my dad cme back polished and in a lovely purple pouch, a lovely touch. The ashes were delivered to my door by a very smart and well dressed man. Brilliant from start to finish
David Timmis, on Google 24 Nov 2024
We found the lady we spoke to was very helpful explaining every thing in detail, and are very pleased with the service and plan, a good price. We strongly recommend distinct cremations.
4.9/5
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4.9/5
Google g icon
4.8/5
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