General Information for Funeral Directors

This page aims to address the most commonly requested information for Funeral Directors, but if you have any other questions at all please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you or your families would like to view the Ceremony Hall at Rushcliffe Oaks you will be very welcome. Please contact the office to make an appointment.

Arranging a Funeral Service and Cremation

• We aim to make the process for booking and arranging services as smooth as possible. Please contact the office to make arrangements or use our online portal, through which you are able to book cremation services even outside of office hours. For full details of how to use this facility please go to our Online Booking page.
• Application forms are available as digital downloads from our Forms for Cremation page. Completed forms should be emailed or delivered to us as soon as possible, and no later than three working days before the service is due to take place.

Services

• Use of the crematorium for a Full Service or Committal is allocated for a period of 60 minutes. This includes time taken for mourners to enter and exit and allows for a service time of up to a maximum of 45 minutes in the Ceremony Hall. If a longer service is required, additional time in the Ceremony Hall will need to be booked in advance.
• Direct Cremations may only be booked by prior agreement with the Rushcliffe Oaks office.
• Unattended Direct Cremation slots are at 8.30am and 8.45am.
• Attended Direct Cremations are available for any normal time slot, but can be booked no more than 5 working days in advance. These are for no more than 15 minutes in the Ceremony Hall, and must be without a celebrant or family speaker. A single piece of reflection music may be chosen by the family, and a single photo may be displayed on the screen.
• If families wish to view the charging of the coffin into the cremator (a witnessed charge) this will need to be arranged with the Rushcliffe Oaks office in advance. A surcharge applies for witnessed charges. If a witnessed charge funeral requires a longer duration than the 60 minutes of a full service allocation, additional time in the Ceremony Hall will need to be booked. The witnessing room has an optimum viewing capacity of approximately ten persons.

The Ceremony Hall

• The Ceremony Hall at Rushcliffe Oaks can seat up to 128 people, with further standing room for up to around 100 additional guests in the entrance lobby. The glass partition can be opened to join the two rooms together into a single space.
• There are screens situated in the family room and the entrance lobby, enabling those outside the Ceremony Hall to watch the service if required. The Porte Cochere has external speakers should it be necessary to relay the service to guests outside the building. If possible, please inform us in advance if you are aware that a funeral service may have a large attendance (130+).
• Coffins may be carried or wheeled into the Ceremony Hall. However, we do not provide additional bearers, so sufficient bearers must be provided to safely place the coffin onto the catafalque.
• The coffin will rest on the catafalque front and centre in the Ceremony Hall, bathed in light from the large windows overlooking the beautifully landscaped Reflection Garden. The end of a ceremony can be indicated by the use of a gentle lighting sequence — we do not have any voiles or curtains around the catafalque.
• There is a dedicated Break Room for funeral staff to use while a service is taking place, including refreshment facilities and a television screen on which to monitor the service.

Music and Media

• Music, visual tribute, and webcasting requirements for services at Rushcliffe Oaks are provided in conjunction with Obitus, and should be set up via your own log-in on the Obitus website at www2.obitus.com. All media requirements must be submitted via Obitus no later than three working days before the funeral service. Prices for each service can also be found on the Price Information page.
• We have an induction loop for the hard of hearing.

Coffin Sizes

• Our electric cremator can accommodate coffins up to 254kg in weight (40 stone). The maximum external coffin dimensions are 220cm long x 77cm wide x 60cm deep (7’ x 30” x 23½”) OR 220 x 100 x 53cm (7’ x 39” x 20½”), including fittings. If possible, please inform us in advance if you are aware that a coffin may weigh over 130kg (20 stone).

Coffin Construction and Prohibited Coffin Types

• Please ensure you have read and checked the details regarding acceptable coffin construction on page 2 of our Instruction Form. In particular, please note that coffins should be made of wood or a wood by-product. We may be able to accept other coffin materials, but please check with the office if you are uncertain. Please especially inform us in advance if you are aware that you will be bringing a cardboard coffin, or any other coffin with increased flammability.
• We do accept coffins of wicker, willow or wool construction. Please ensure these have a flat base that will not snag when moving over the rollers of the catafalque or our automated insertion machine.
• Due to increased hazards, we are unfortunately unable to cremate the following types of coffin:
  - Banana leaf
  - Sea-grass
  The use of these specific coffin types for cremations at Rushcliffe Oaks is therefore prohibited. 

Flowers and Tributes

• No artificial flowers of any kind (including wreaths) are permitted in the grounds. An exception is made solely for Remembrance Day.
• We encourage mourners and Funeral Directors to take tributes away after a service. Remaining tributes will be moved at the end of the working day to be displayed within the memorial grounds, generally for a minimum of three working days. After this time they will be assessed for disposal, taking into account natural decay, effects of weather and the activity of wildlife. Where possible, natural materials will be removed for repurposing or composting and other materials for recycling.
• Cut flowers without wrappers or bindings may be left on site, but please do ensure no plastics, ribbons or wires are attached. Receptacles for flowers placed on or formed in the ground are not permitted.

Releases

• In line with our attention to being good stewards of the natural environment, Rushcliffe Oaks does not permit the release of doves, butterflies, or other animal life, or of balloons, floating lanterns or similar as part of or after a funeral service.

Policies and Procedures

This page gives an overview of our services and policies, but fuller details can be found in our Policies and Procedures, available here.