Lynwood House, Great North Road, Wideopen, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE13 6PL
We help you to create a lasting tribute.
H Duckworth Independent Funeral Directors have been offering discrete support and guidance to families for over 90 years. Providing a high quality service and professional experience is our duty.
Choose how you want to be remembered.
Everyone has a different idea about the kind of funeral arrangements they would like. By discussing and planning now, you can rest easy in the knowledge you will get the funeral you desire.
Caring and Personal Funeral Services
From the initial consultation to the day of the funeral, we can help with all aspects of the service. We are here to listen, advise and guide you through every step of the process.
Visit us in branch to speak with one of our experience funeral directors or contact us 24 hours a day.
Local collection of the deceased from the place of death and their conveyance to the funeral director's premises during normal working hours
Care of the deceased prior to the funeral
Supplying a basic coffin suitable for burial or cremation
Provision of the hearse to convey the deceased directly to the funeral location
Provision of sufficient bearers as required
Professional advice on certification, registration and all the required legal documentation
A contribution to third party costs, also known as disbursements, such as minister or celebrant, doctors fee and the crematorium and/or cemetery is included in our standardised plans. You can specify how this money is allocated, please see our terms and conditions for a more extensive list of examples.
Provision of Chapel of Rest facilities for viewing of the deceased prior to the funeral and/or service rooms where available
The Funeral Director's fees in arranging and conducting the funeral
Advice and help for the purpose of producing Order of Service and/or Hymn sheets (printing not included)
Advice and help for placing an obituary notice in the local press (cost of notice not included)
Memorial advice
Additional items such as a Horse Drawn Hearse, Traditional Wooden Ashes Casket and Upgrade to Wicker Coffin are available on request. Please talk to our team directly or take your standard plan out and we can add them for you afterwards.
The following items are excluded from this plan but could be added at additional cost. Please speak with an Open adviser for more information.
We’re here to help, if you have a question just get in touch
Traditional Prepaid Funeral Plan
Our Traditional prepaid funeral plan includes:
Local collection of the deceased from the place of death and their conveyance to the funeral director's premises during normal working hours
Care of the deceased prior to the funeral
Supplying a genuine wood veneered coffin suitable for burial or cremation
Provision of the hearse and one mourners' limousine (a limousine typically seats 6)
Provision of funeral conductor and bearers as required
The cortege leaving from a local address, travelling to the funeral service and returning afterwards
Professional advice on certification, registration and all the required legal documentation
A contribution to third party costs, also known as disbursements, such as minister or celebrant, doctors fee and the crematorium and/or cemetery is included in our standardised plans. You can specify how this money is allocated, please see our terms and conditions for a more extensive list of examples.
Provision of Chapel of Rest facilities for viewing of the deceased prior to the funeral and/or service rooms where available
The Funeral Director's fees in arranging and conducting the funeral
Advice on floral tributes, estate administration, bereavement counselling and charitable donations
Advice and help for the purpose of producing Order of Service and/or Hymn sheets (printing not included)
Advice and help for placing an obituary notice in the local press (cost of notice not included)
Memorial advice
Additional items such as a Horse Drawn Hearse, Traditional Wooden Ashes Casket and Upgrade to Wicker Coffin are available on request. Please talk to our team directly or take your standard plan out and we can add them for you afterwards.
The following items are excluded from this plan but could be added at additional cost. Please speak with an Open adviser for more information.
We’re here to help, if you have a question just get in touch
Select Prepaid Funeral Plan
Our Select prepaid funeral plan includes:
Local collection of the deceased from the place of death and their conveyance to the funeral director's premises during normal working hours
Care of the deceased prior to the funeral
Supplying a superior genuine wood veneered coffin suitable for burial or cremation
Provision of the hearse and two mourners' limousine (a limousine typically seats 6)
Provision of funeral conductor and bearers as required
The cortege leaving from a local address, travelling to the funeral service and returning afterwards
Professional advice on certification, registration and all the required legal documentation
A contribution to third party costs, also known as disbursements, such as minister or celebrant, doctors fee and the crematorium and/or cemetery is included in our standardised plans. You can specify how this money is allocated, please see our terms and conditions for a more extensive list of examples.
Provision of Chapel of Rest facilities for viewing of the deceased prior to the funeral and/or service rooms where available
The Funeral Director's fees in arranging and conducting the funeral
Advice on floral tributes, estate administration, bereavement counselling and charitable donations
Provision of attendance cards or book for those who attend the funeral to sign
Collection of floral tribute cards or if preferred, a listing of those who have sent flowers
Advice and help for the purpose of producing Order of Service and/or Hymn sheets (printing not included)
Advice and help for placing an obituary notice in the local press (cost of notice not included)
Memorial advice
Additional items such as a Horse Drawn Hearse, Traditional Wooden Ashes Casket and Upgrade to Wicker Coffin are available on request. Please talk to our team directly or take your standard plan out and we can add them for you afterwards.
The following items are excluded from this plan but could be added at additional cost. Please speak with an Open adviser for more information.
We’re here to help, if you have a question just get in touch
Unattended Cremation
What is Unattended Cremation?
Unattended cremation removes the formality of a traditional funeral service. The funeral director, allocated by Open Prepaid Funerals arranges collection from the place of death and provides care until the day of the cremation. The prepaid unattended cremation plan includes the provision of a basic coffin, sufficient staff to convey the deceased to the crematorium and the contribution to 3rd party fees.
The date and time of the funeral is arranged by the funeral director with no mourners in attendance and no ceremony. The cremated remains are then either scattered at the crematorium or can be made available to the family for collection. Most families who choose this option will arrange for an alternative Memorial Service after the cremation.
The prepaid unattended cremation plan is the most cost-effective way of prepaying for a funeral in advance - and yet price is often not the deciding factor. In many cases, this approach to the funeral simply sits comfortably with the plan holder’s lifestyle, providing a less emotional way of dealing with end-of-life planning.
The unattended cremation is a discreet and dignified service provided by a professional funeral director in accordance with the appropriate legal requirements.
Our prepaid unattended cremation plan includes:
Local collection of the deceased from the place of death and their conveyance to the funeral director's premises during normal working hours
Care of the deceased prior to the cremation
Supplying a basic coffin suitable for cremation
Provision of a vehicle to convey the deceased directly to the crematorium
Provision of sufficient bearers as required
Arranging doctors' cremation certificates where required
Completing and delivering to the crematorium the required statutory documents
Advice on registering the death
Disposal or collection of cremated remains
Payment of disbursement fees to doctors and the crematorium
The funeral directors professional fees in arranging and conducting the cremation
A contribution to third party costs, also known as disbursements, such as minister or celebrant, doctors fee and the crematorium and/or cemetery is included in our standardised plans. You can specify how this money is allocated, please see our terms and conditions for a more extensive list of examples.
The following items are excluded from this plan but could be added at additional cost. Please speak with an Open adviser for more information.
We’re here to help, if you have a question just get in touch
Why choose a prepaid funeral plan?
Taking out a prepaid funeral plan can bring many benefits to you and your family. Some of these may include:
Alleviates financial burden - one of the benefits of taking out a funeral plan is securing the funeral directors services at today’s price, these are guaranteed to be covered at the time of need if fully paid. Disbursements are not fully guaranteed though, there could be a shortfall which your family may have to cover, see terms and conditions or talk to us for more details.
Reduces emotional stress - planning a loved one’s funeral can be an emotionally challenging time for family and close friends. By planning your funeral before the time comes, this could reduce emotional and financial stress for your loved ones.
Tailor made for you - by arranging your funeral ahead of time, you are able to design it specifically to your own individual requirements – meaning its bespoke to you and your preferences.
Tailor-made funeral plans
If none of the set plans are exactly what you had in mind, we can work with you to create a tailor-made funeral plan that specifically meets your needs. You may find it useful to use one of our pre-existing prepaid funeral plans as a guide to help you begin the process. Then you could add an extra limousine, for example, or decide that you would prefer the service to take place in your local church rather than a crematorium chapel.
Whatever your thoughts, talk to us and we'll guide you through the funeral planning process. We will then check with your preferred funeral director fees and charges in our system that all prices and elements are correct before confirming with you. We will detail all the fees and charges giving you a final amount to pay. Whatever your agreed plans, the funeral directors services are guaranteed to be provided with no further costs at the time of need. There may be a contribution required at the time of need in relation to disbursement costs, see terms for full details.
Call us to discuss your bespoke funeral plan on 0330 660 0072
Calls from landlines are typically charged between 2p and 10p per minute; calls from mobiles typically cost between 10p and 40p per minute. Calls from landlines and mobiles are included in free call packages.