For when you want family and friends there, right to the very end.
Some families want everyone there. A proper goodbye, with people gathered, a coffin carried in, and time set aside to say what needs saying. That’s what an attended cremation gives you. It’s the traditional route most Borough Green families choose, and our team can arrange every part of it, from the first phone call through to the day itself.
“Many thanks to Sharon who helped us in organising my sister’s celebration of life. She was so personable and able to offer up solutions to a number of details we wanted to included to make the day special and to reflect our sister. She kept us updated throughout and I appreciate how accommodating she was to all those who were involved in creating the send off. On the day, the funeral director did well to manage a large number of people whilst working within a set timeframe. She was assertive and upbeat and ensured all requests were fulfilled. Thanks again to everyone at Welham Jones and all the best.”
– Sam Baines
Call our Borough Green team
If someone has died, call us directly on 01732 780600
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An attended cremation makes sense when being there matters, when you and your family want to see the coffin arrive, hear a few words spoken, and share a proper committal together. Many faiths ask for a witnessed service as a matter of course, and even without a religious reason, standing together at the end often helps more than people expect.
It suits families who’d like a hearse to lead the way, pallbearers to carry their loved one in, and time for a eulogy, readings or a favourite piece of music. If you’re weighing this up against a direct or unattended cremation, the real difference is presence: who’s there, and what happens before the coffin goes through to the cremator. We’ll talk you through both, so you choose what actually fits your family.
Most Borough Green families booking an attended cremation use either Vinters Park Crematorium in Maidstone or Medway Crematorium at Blue Bell Hill, and we’ll help you choose based on timing and chapel size.
Vinters Park runs cremation services at 9.15am and, Monday to Thursday, at 4pm, each a 30-minute slot, alongside longer 45-minute slots on the hour between 10am and 3pm. Its chapel seats 83, with standing room and speakers outside for a bigger gathering. Medway Crematorium runs 60-minute slots across two chapels, so there’s a little more room to take things at your own pace.
If you’d rather hold the main service somewhere else first, both crematoria offer a committal-only booking. That’s how many Borough Green families combine a church service at the Church of the Good Shepherd in the village, or St George’s in Wrotham, with the cremation itself. Once the details are settled, we handle the paperwork and the bookings.
What you pay depends on the choices you make: which crematorium and slot, whether you’d like a family limousine alongside the hearse, the coffin, and any extras like printed orders of service or a live stream for family who can’t travel. Crematorium and celebrant or minister fees sit outside our own charges and vary by venue.
We’ll put everything in writing before you agree to anything, so nothing gets added later that you didn’t ask for. If a quote changes because you’ve decided to add something, we’ll explain what that means for the total first.
You have two choices with regards to attended cremations, a CMA A – Competition and Market Authority’s Attended – funeral package, or a bespoke funeral package.
We’re independent and family-run, and every family gets one funeral arranger who stays with you from the first call to the day itself. Because we work with Vinters Park and Medway so often, we know their booking systems, their chapel capacities and how each one runs on the day, so there are no surprises. We’re also here outside normal office hours, seven days a week, if something needs sorting quickly.
An attended cremation means your family and friends are there for a proper service, either in a crematorium chapel or a church beforehand, followed by the committal. It’s different from a direct or unattended cremation, where the cremation happens privately with no mourners present.
It depends on the slot you choose. Vinters Park offers 30-minute slots at 9.15am and 4pm, plus longer 45-minute slots through the day. Medway Crematorium runs 60-minute slots across its two chapels, giving a little more time if you’d like a longer service.
Yes. Many Borough Green families hold the main service at the Church of the Good Shepherd in the village or St George’s in Wrotham, then travel to Vinters Park or Medway for a committal-only cremation. We’ll help coordinate both bookings so the timing works.
Not quite. Some providers use ‘attended direct cremation’ for a short, simple slot with just a handful of people present and no full service. Our attended cremation is the fuller, traditional option, with a hearse, pallbearers, and proper time for readings, music and a eulogy. Ask us if you’d like something in between.
If you’d like to talk through what an attended cremation involves, call our Borough Green team on 01732 780600. We’re here every day, and there’s no pressure to decide anything on the first call.
For the full range of cremation options we offer from this branch, including direct and unattended cremation, visit our Borough Green cremation services page, or head back to our main Borough Green funeral directors page for team and branch details.
Address:
43 Western Road, Borough Green, Sevenoaks, TN15 8AL
Telephone: 01732 780600
Email: boroughgreen@welhamjones.co.uk
Opening Hours
Monday: 9am to 5pm
Tuesday: 9am to 5pm
Wednesday: 9am to 5pm
Thursday: 9am to 5pm
Friday: 9am to 5pm
Saturday: By appointment only
Sunday: By appointment only
Weekend appointments for making arrangements and visiting are available by request.
For community deaths outside those hours, we also provide a 24/7 response, 365 days of the year.
