In partnership with Golden Charter

Pre-paid Funeral Plans

Plan ahead with Jennifer Ashe & Son Funeral Directors in partnership with Golden Charter Funeral Plans.

Buy a Funeral Plan Speak to Our Team

Golden Charter Funeral Plans

Planned by You. Sorted for Them.

Putting a funeral plan in place can help give your family reassurance that your wishes are known and that practical arrangements have already been considered.

Planning ahead

Planning Ahead with Confidence

A funeral plan is an easy way to arrange the funeral you want in advance. A plan allows you to specify your wishes and pay for the funeral director’s services included in your plan. As customers often tell us, that can bring peace of mind to you and your family. A plan from Golden Charter also includes an allowance towards third party costs. These are essential, non-funeral director services such as the cremation or burial fees, plus the minister or officiant’s fee to perform the service.

At Jennifer Ashe & Son Funeral Directors, we work in partnership with Golden Charter to provide you with a simple way to plan ahead. As one of the UK’s largest funeral plan providers¹, Golden Charter has helped over 1 million people to plan ahead², so we’re completely confident in offering their plans to you.

Everyone has different needs when it comes to funeral planning, so we make sure the plans we offer are as flexible as possible. When you get in touch, we’ll be happy to discuss your funeral requirements and tailor a plan to suit you. Rest assured a plan from Golden Charter is available to all UK residents regardless of age or state of health.

Our plan options

Funeral Plan Options

Independent Way funeral plan options at a glance

The plan comparison below gives an illustration of the options available for an Independent Way funeral plan – from a fuss-free direct cremation, to a traditional funeral with a service.

These plans and prices are examples only. Your funeral director will discuss your wishes and tailor the plan to suit your needs and budget.

As well as the funeral director’s services set out below, there are other costs and services you need to think about. Please see the notes below for details.

Independent Way funeral plan comparison. Prices are illustrative examples. Read the notes below the table.
Funeral director services included in the plan:	Unattended cremation	Traditional funeral service
Funeral director services included in the plan:	Option 1£1,745	Option 2£4,145	Option 3£4,645	Option 4£5,545
Provision of professional services and making all arrangements for the funeral	✓	✓	✓	✓
Advice on the certification and registration of the death and related documentation	✓	✓	✓	✓
The coffin*	Suitable for cremation	Standard	Standard	Superior
Collection and transportation of the deceased to the funeral director’s premises (within a 25 mile radius)	24 hours	24 hours	24 hours	24 hours
Care of the deceased prior to burial or cremation (excluding embalming)	✓	✓	✓	✓
Use of chapel of rest or service rooms	Within working hours	Within working hours	Within working hours	Within working hours
Family viewing at any pre-arranged time**	✓	✓	✓	✓
Dressing of the deceased	Own clothes	Own clothes	Own clothes	Own clothes
Provision of sufficient staff to attend to the coffin as required	✓	✓	✓	✓
Choice of date and time of funeral	✕	✕	✓	✓
Funeral procession to funeral location (fees and costs of a service at a separate location not included)	✕	From funeral home only	From home address or funeral home	From home address or funeral home
Hearse (or similar) to a local crematorium or cemetery	Private ambulance	Hearse	Hearse	Hearse
Limousines	✕	✕	One	Two
Additional benefits:
Built-in allowance towards third party costs (see notes below for details)	£350	£1,300	£1,450	£1,900
An allowance towards the fees for the Crematorium	✓	✓	✓	✓
An allowance towards flowers	✕	✕	✓	✓
An allowance towards the supply of the order of service	✕	✕	✕	✓

* Coffins supplied will be wood-effect quality or better (excludes unattended cremation plan). Your funeral director will provide further guidance on the types of coffin available within your plan.

** Costs may apply if out-of-hours viewing is required.

A plan that’s tailored to your needs

The examples shown in the table above provide an illustration of the options available for an Independent Way funeral plan. Your funeral director will tailor the services included in your plan to suit your needs.

The retail price of your funeral plan is representative of the equivalent cost of a funeral today plus an arrangement fee of £350 which is retained by Golden Charter to help cover the costs of setting up your plan. Also included in the plan price is an allowance towards third party costs. Prices are applicable from September 2026 and subject to change without prior notice.

Other funeral costs you need to think about

Third party costs

These are the costs for other essential services that are required to carry out a cremation or burial - for example cremation or burial fees, which aren’t provided by your funeral director.

Third party costs are outside of your funeral director’s control but will need to be paid by them to the suppliers or professionals at the time of the funeral.

You can choose to include a contribution towards third party costs in your plan.

The value of the contribution may grow over time. There will only be more to pay at the time of the funeral if the third party costs exceed the contribution when you buy your plan, or if the costs increase by more than the growth of your plan.

Please note: if you choose burial, the plans include an allowance towards the opening of a new or existing grave but do not include the purchase of a burial plot. The purchase of a grave and any monumental work would need to be arranged separately.

Costs for additional services

You can choose to add extra services such as flowers, newspaper notices, a reception, catering and orders of service. These costs are not covered by your plan, but you can choose to add these as an additional cost or your funeral director can help to organise them at the time.

For more information on the plan and payment options available, please speak to your funeral director.

View Plans Online Speak to Our Team

If there are no plans available online that suit your needs or you would like a burial plan, please contact us on 01902 937572 and we can tailor a funeral plan to your specific requirements.

Personal wishes

A Plan to Suit Your Needs

As an independently owned funeral director, we’ll take the time to understand your wishes and tailor a plan to suit you. We can discuss these at our premises or in your home, at a time that is convenient for you.

If you’d prefer to discuss this over the phone or via email, we can assist with this too. You can tell us about any preferences you have in mind, including the type of funeral you would like to have, hymns, music or any other personal touches, and we’ll make sure your plan takes these into account.

Plan ahead with confidence

Recording your wishes can help those closest to you understand what you wanted and reduce some of the decisions they may otherwise need to make later.

View Plans Online

What is included

What’s Included in a Pre-paid Funeral Plan?

Our funeral director’s services will be covered in your funeral plan, which means our fees will be fixed at today’s prices and protected against rising costs. These services typically include:

Professional Services

Professional services and making arrangements for the funeral.

Transportation

Transportation of the deceased from the place of death to our premises, chapel of rest or other suitable location.

Care of the Deceased

Care of the deceased and preparations for family viewing if requested.

Documentation Advice

Advice on the certification and registration of death and related documentation.

Funeral Vehicles

Provision of funeral vehicles.

Bereavement Counselling

Advice on bereavement counselling.

Coffin or Casket

Coffin or casket requested.

Peace of mind

A Simple Way to Help Your Family

Planning ahead can give you time to consider your wishes properly and put arrangements in place while you are able to make those decisions yourself.

Our team can talk through the options clearly and help you understand which plan may be most suitable for your wishes.

Additional costs

Third Party Costs

Although a pre-paid funeral plan can cover all of the services above, there are some additional third party costs to consider. These are the costs for essential, non-funeral director services required to carry out a cremation or burial which need to be paid at the time of the funeral. These costs are outside our control.

Depending on the plan type chosen, a Golden Charter funeral plan can include a contribution towards some third party costs. They may include:

Crematorium Fee

Minister or Officiant’s Fee

Cemetery Fee

The opening of a new or existing grave for burial or interment of cremated remains.

Other third party costs that may be associated with a funeral include:

Purchase of Grave or Lair

Hire of Church or Other Venue

Fees for Organist or Soloist

Memorial

Such as a headstone, entry in a book of remembrance, or the planting of a tree.

Catering, Floral Tributes and Newspaper Announcements

There will only be more to pay at the time of the funeral if the third party costs exceed the allowance when you buy your plan, or if the costs increase by more than the growth of your plan.

However, even if prices rise in the future, you’ll have the reassurance of knowing there’ll be nothing more to pay for our funeral director’s services included in the plan once your plan is fully paid for – guaranteed.

Payment options

Payment Options to Suit You

With a Golden Charter funeral plan, you can pay for your plan in several ways. Spread the cost or make a one-off payment – simply choose the one that’s right for you. We will provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision.

Your payments are held within the Golden Charter Trust. With over £1.2 billion under management³, the Trust is operated by a Board of Trustees, completely independent of Golden Charter. Their role is to hold your payments and ensure that the funeral director services in your plan can be paid for at the time they are required, however far into the future that may be. For more information on how your payments are protected, please visit goldencharter.co.uk/faqs

Customer care

Looking After You as a Customer

As a Golden Charter plan holder, you’ll receive personalised plan documents, which include a summary of your plan, our details, your plan holder certificate and a personal membership card for you to carry in your purse or wallet. You can add a nominated representative to your plan if you wish to do so. Your nominated representative will receive a letter which will provide details of your plan and our details, as your chosen funeral director. They will have no authority to make changes to your plan.

You’ll also receive a statement from Golden Charter every three years which will be sent via post.

As your funeral director, we’ll hold full details of your funeral plan. When the time comes, one phone call is all it takes to activate your plan and get the arrangements underway.

Ready to begin?

Ready to Take the Next Step?

As well as the comfort of having a plan in place, you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with being able to help save your family from worry and expense in the future. So why not take the next step?

If you would prefer to view or buy a plan online, please click below to explore the options.

Buy a Funeral Plan

If there are no plans available online that suit your needs or you would like a burial plan, please contact us on 01902 937572 and we can tailor a funeral plan to your specific requirements.

Important Notes

¹ Based on a Golden Charter analysis and independent research of the funeral plan market size as of November 2025

² Correct at September 2026

³ Confirmed by Golden Charter Trust’s audited accounts at 31 March 2026.

Jennifer Ashe & Son Funeral Directors Ltd trading as Jennifer Ashe & Son Funeral Directors is an appointed representative of Golden Charter Limited trading as Golden Charter Funeral Plans which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN:965279).

Speak to Our Team

Please select your nearest branch below to speak directly with our team.

Willenhall01902 937572 Brownhills01543 378022 Oxley01902 271748 Hednesford01543 406315