Circle Funerals

03/09/2026

September is World Alzheimer’s Month

We often meet families who have spent months or years supporting someone living with dementia.

There can be a huge amount to navigate along the way, and they tell us that knowing what support is available can make a real difference.

Dementia UK’s message this September is a simple one: “we’re here.” Their Admiral Nurses provide specialist dementia support for people living with dementia and the families around them, by phone, online and in communities. They also offer virtual appointments, online Dementia: what next? sessions and some in-person clinic appointments.

Closer to home, Together Dementia Support works across Manchester with people living with dementia and their carers. Their support includes friendship and activity groups, dementia cafés for carers, practical advice and guidance, and events and activities designed to help people stay connected.

This month they also have a number of events taking place, including their Together Trail at Wythenshawe Park on 12 September and a dementia-friendly music event at the Bridgewater Hall.

We try to keep up to date with both local and national support so that, when someone asks us, we can point them towards options that might be useful to them.

28/08/2026

We talk quite a lot about making funerals personal, but I (Sara) sometimes wonder whether that makes it sound as though families need to come up with lots of unusual ideas or do something particularly different. They really don't.

Often it's the very ordinary things that tell us most about somebody. The sport or hobby they've taken part in, a club that has been a big part of their life, the music they always listened to, family holidays that still get talked about, photographs that immediately bring back a story, or the little expressions and habits that everyone who knew them would recognise.

You don't need lots and lots of these things either. A few details, chosen because they genuinely mean something, can feature in a funeral and make it feel completely personal to the person who has died.

For me, that's what personalisation is really about. Not trying to make a funeral different for the sake of being different, but taking the time to understand who somebody was and allowing some of their life to be reflected in the day.

26/08/2026

We are accredited by The Good Funeral Guide CIC and we are also members of SAIF (The Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors), but what does that actually mean for the people who we support?

The Good Funeral Guide is completely independent. Funeral directors can’t simply pay to be listed as recommended. Their accreditation follows an assessment of how a funeral director works, including the care provided, the choices offered to families, transparency around costs and the overall experience people can expect.

SAIF is the professional association for independent funeral directors. As members, we agree to follow its Code of Practice and our premises and procedures are subject to inspection.

For us, both matter because families place an enormous amount of trust in a funeral director. Much of what we do happens quietly and behind the scenes, so we think there should be standards and accountability behind that trust too.

Accreditation and membership give families another layer of reassurance, and for us they also reflect standards that are already important in how we work: being professional, open and giving people plenty of room to make their own choices.

24/08/2026

Our Creative Bereavement Support Group returns on Wednesday 2 September at Oyez Arts, Altrincham Town Hall.

The group is free to attend and meets during term time from 11.45am–1.15pm.

It’s a small peer support group for adults who have experienced bereavement at any time. Each week there is a creative activity, plenty of conversation and a chance to spend time with other people who understand something of what grief can feel like.

The photos here show some of the resin jewellery and coasters members created towards the end of last term. Everyone made something completely different, and it was lovely to see the ideas develop as the sessions went on.

There’s no need to be “good at art” and no pressure to talk if you don’t feel like it. The creative activity is simply there as something to do while people chat, listen, have a brew or just spend some time in company.

The group is led by Debbie Tomkies from Making Futures CIC hosted at Oyez Arts at Altrincham Town Hall, and supported by Circle Funerals.

It’s a peer support group rather than a therapy group, so if you’re looking for counselling or something more formal, we’re also very happy to point you towards other bereavement support that may be a better fit.

If you’d like to know a little more, or are thinking about joining us, please contact:

[email protected]
0161 928 6080

18/08/2026

Direct cremation doesn’t have to mean using a remote national provider.

If a direct cremation feels right for you or your family, we can arrange it here at Circle Funerals.

We can explain what direct cremation involves, what is and isn’t included, and the other choices available, then leave you to decide what feels right.

And if direct cremation is the choice you make, the person who has died still comes into our care at our premises and Jeremy and I remain involved throughout.

We can also help with the practical elements, for example advising on local crematoria, suggesting local venues if you would like to gather afterwards, recommending florists if you would like flowers, and collecting the ashes for you.

Some people choose direct cremation because they want something simple and private. Others may want a separate gathering, memorial or celebration afterwards.

Either way, choosing direct cremation doesn’t mean you have to arrange everything online or through a national call centre.

If it would help to talk through the options, we’re here to help

[email protected]
[email protected]

0161 928 6080

16/08/2026

Greener funeral choices

For some families, reducing the environmental impact of a funeral is an important part of the decisions they make.

That might mean choosing a natural burial, a biodegradable coffin, locally grown flowers or an Order of Service printed on recycled paper. For others, it may simply be one or two smaller choices that feel manageable and appropriate.

There is no need for a funeral to be described as a “green funeral” for environmental considerations to be included.

Jeremy and I are always happy to explain the different options and help families understand where particular choices may make a difference, whether this is something that matters to them personally or was important to the person who has died.

0161 928 6080
[email protected]
[email protected]

14/08/2026

People sometimes assume that because we talk a lot about choice and personalisation, we only arrange alternative funerals.

We actually support families with all kinds of funerals, including traditional faith-based services, non-religious funerals, burials, direct cremations, memorial services and arrangements that are a little less conventional.

For some families, what feels right is a traditional church service followed by burial. For others, it may be a cremation with very personal music, readings or family involvement. Sometimes it is something in between.

Our role is not to steer you towards a particular type of funeral. It is to explain what is possible, listen to what matters to you and help you arrange the funeral you want.

Photos show Trudy, a Morris Minor hearse, supplied by Mortons Funeral Hire, a living arrangement created by Sarah of Bloom & Gorgeous and a headstone designed and created by Mindful Memorials

12/08/2026

Independent funeral care in Altrincham

Circle Funerals is the only independently owned funeral service based in Altrincham on Ashley Road. We’re a married couple, Jeremy and Sara and we support families across Altrincham, Trafford, Greater Manchester and Cheshire.

We know that every family and every funeral is different, so we don’t work from fixed packages or expect people to make the same choices. We take time to understand what matters to you, explain the options clearly and help you arrange the funeral that feels right for your family.

We also understand how important reassurance and transparency are when choosing a funeral director. Circle Funerals is a member of SAIF The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors, whose members work to a professional Code of Practice, and we are independently accredited by the Good Funeral Guide.

It is usually Jeremy who supports a family from the first phone call through to the funeral itself, with Sara available whenever needed. The person who has died is cared for by us at our own premises in Altrincham.

Our phone is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You are always welcome to call with a question or to talk through what you may need.

Jeremy and Sara
0161 928 6080
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.circlefunerals.co.uk

Circle Funerals, 23 Ashley Road, Altrincham, WA14 2DP

Independent funeral directors in Altrincham offering personal, flexible and professional support to families across Trafford and Manchester.

10/08/2026

Funeral wishes

At the end of a recent funeral service I overheard a few people talking about the idea of writing down funeral wishes and saying what a good idea it was...and I couldn’t help but agree.

When we support a family who already has the funeral wishes of the person who has died, it can make such a difference as it gives the family something to work from and can take away some of the uncertainty.

Funeral wishes don’t need to be detailed or formal. They might simply include:

• whether you would prefer burial or cremation
• the type of service you would like
• music, readings or hymns that matter to you
• whether you would want flowers or donations
• who you would like to be involved
• anything you definitely would, or wouldn’t, want

You don’t have to decide everything at once, and your wishes can always be changed later.

At Circle Funerals, Jeremy and I (Sara) offer a free Funeral Wishes service. You can complete the document yourself, or come in and talk it through with Jeremy or me. There is no obligation to arrange a funeral with us. Here is a link to our website with more information: https://circlefunerals.co.uk/funerals/funeral-wishes-pre-paid-plans/

It is simply a way of making your wishes known and giving the people around you a little more guidance when they may really value it.

[email protected]
[email protected]
0161 928 6080

08/08/2026

Ashes choices

You may not know straight away what you would like to do with someone’s ashes. Some families decide quite quickly, or the person who died may have left a specific wish. Other families we support ask us to keep hold of the ashes safely for them before they decide what feels right.

Ashes can also be divided. This can be helpful if family members would like to do different things, or if you would like to keep some at home and scatter or bury the rest somewhere meaningful.

Some people choose to:

• scatter the ashes in a favourite place

• bury them in a cemetery, churchyard or garden

• keep them at home in an urn

• place a small amount into jewellery

• incorporate them into artwork, glass, a vinyl record or another keepsake

• use them as part of a memorial, such as a birdbath or garden feature

• have the ashes placed inside fireworks for a display

There is no right or wrong choice, and you do not have to decide everything at once.

You are very welcome to contact us to talk anything through, whether or not we arranged the funeral.

[email protected]
[email protected]
0161 928 6080