Poppy's

The Telegraph recently quoted Poppy in a report on the rise of direct cremations - but what is a direct cremation?

A direct or unattended cremation is a cremation without a funeral service or ceremony. People choose direct cremation for many reasons. The reasons may be practical or financial. Maybe the person who died requested it, or they were the sort of person that ‘didn’t like a fuss’. Or maybe those organising the funeral would prefer to hold a separate memorial event later on.

The article outlines what is on offer when you choose a direct cremation, but at Poppy’s, we are proud to offer direct cremations with a difference.

We believe a direct cremation can be the perfect choice for some clients - but we always ensure people know what they are buying a cremation without a service.

If you choose a direct cremation with us, you still have the option of visiting or dressing your person in our calm and peaceful Friends and Family Room. You can give us meaningful items to place in your person’s coffin. With Poppy’s, you will know exactly where and when your person is being cremated – which is not always the case with direct cremation services.

And you can even meet us on the morning and accompany your person’s coffin by foot from our mortuary, through peaceful Lambeth Cemetery, to es**rt them to the door of the crematorium.

NB: in order to read the article for free, you will be asked to accept cookies.

How to spend as little on a funeral as possible Direct cremation can keep costs low but it isn’t the best fit for everyone, Telegraph Money explains

📢 Death Cafés are coming to Raynes Park!

We’re delighted to be offering Death Cafés in Raynes Park, starting on 1 July.

Death Cafés are a space to share our knowledge, our worries and our hopes about death, with a view to making the most of our lives. No previous experience of talking about death is necessary, so please do come along!

You don't have to book, you can just show up, but if you'd like to register your interest in advance, you can find the link in the first pinned comment 👇

⏰Wednesday 1 July, 10.00 – 11.30
📍 Lantern Arts Centre, Tolverne Road, London SW20 8RA

A Death Café is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session. This opportunity is for adults and not children.

New photos in the works! 📸

Last week we teamed up with to capture some new photography for Poppy’s.

We look forward to sharing the images with you soon – in the meantime, here’s a couple of Ben and the team in action.

At Poppy's, we know that talking about death isn't always easy - but it can be comforting, empowering and even life-affirming.

Poppy recently sat down with Vix Brenninkmeijer on Riverside Radio to talk about what inspired Poppy to become a funeral director, what we can all do to bring death out from behind closed doors, and why now was the perfect time to open a new shop in Raynes Park.

Thank you, Vix, for a brilliant conversation.

Find the link in the first pinned comment. 👇

"Thanks for being weird with me." Brilliant words painted with care by the person's family on this exquisitely painted coffin.

Many thanks to the client for kindly sharing these photos with us.

It was brilliant to welcome a full house once again to our twice-yearly Open Afternoon. It's always a pleasure to invite people into our bright and airy mortuary space to talk honestly about death and funerals.

Funeral director Maia, senior practical lead Liam and CEO Clare (from left to right) talked about the Poppy's approach and answered thoughtful questions from the audience ranging from 'how quickly can a funeral be arranged?' to 'who 'owns' someone after they die?'

Thank you to everyone who braved the rain to join us! To hear when tickets are available for the next Open Afternoon, sign up to our newsletter at the link in the first pinned comment. 👇

Book one of the last spaces for free at the link in the first pinned comment.If you’ve got questions about funerals and death care, here’s an opportunity to get them answered in a welcoming and open space.

Tomorrow, we open our doors and welcome the local community into our offices and mortuary space in Lambeth Cemetery in Tooting Wandsworth.

We host a talk and tour in our beautiful mortuary – a converted burial chapel – before welcoming people for tea, biscuits and more conversation in our nearby offices.

Why? Because funerals are too often kept behind closed doors. This means, when someone has died, we are often left wondering what to do or how things will work. It doesn’t need to be this way, and being informed can alleviate stress and worry when it really matters; and also help you think about what your own wishes might be for when you die.

Book one of the last spaces for free at the link in our bio.👇

One of the best things about cardboard coffins is how customisable they are. They can be painted, decoupaged, coloured in with pencil or oil pastel, adorned with flowers, greenery, football memorabilia or anything else you can imagine.

Take, for instance, this truly gorgeous coffin, decorated by Liz’s family with colourful flowers.

If you choose to decorate your person’s coffin, you can do so in our quiet, comfortable Friends and Family Room, or you can take the coffin home and decorate it in your own time and space.

Decorating the coffin can be a beautiful way to spend time together, talk about the person who has died and pause before the day of the funeral itself to remember them.

Thank you very much to Liz’s family for kindly allowing us to share these photos of her beautiful coffin.