Family Funeral Director in the heart of the Chilterns, Widmer End “I’m Philippa ‘Pip’ Howitt-Smith Dip .F.D., B.I.F.D and I’ve been in my beloved profession now for the past 37 years”
In July 1987, my late mum asked me what I wanted to do on leaving school and I replied, “I want to become a Funeral Director, mum” – to which she replied, “Really!” The next week, I arrived home from school to find my mum had arranged for me to visit a funeral director in our home town of Huddersfield. After my visit I knew this was the profession I wanted to enter, so in September 1987, I enrolled in a YTS scheme for a one year course. During my training I was taught how to arrange and conduct funerals, along with all the procedures to running an office. I gained a full-time position in a funeral directors and in 1991 aged 21 I passed my Diploma in Funeral Directing. I was one of the youngest, qualified funeral directors in the UK at that time. In 1996 I qualified as an embalmer whilst working in a busy funeral directors, who dealt with over 1,000 funerals a year. In 2000 I become an area manager for the Co-operative Funeral Services in the areas of Clacton on Sea and Oxford. In 2008 I became a freelance embalmer visiting various funeral directors in the South of England. When Covid-19 hit in 2020, I reverted back to becoming a funeral director working for an online company. As my experience and knowledge of our profession was excellent the funeral directors that provided our care facilities offered me a position as a general manager at their Aylesbury branch in November 2021. I had great pleasure in working with a well-established third generation family owned and run funeral directors. In 2024 I decided to establish my own family owned and run funeral directors and ‘Widmer End and District Funeral Directors’ was established. My aim, is to provide a professional and caring service, which I done all my life, and to help guide families through the funeral process with dignity and compassion.
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| Taking care of all necessary legal and administrative arrangements | £905.00 |
| Collecting and transporting the deceased person from the place of death (normally within 15 miles of the funeral director’s premises) into the funeral director’s care | £300.00 |
| Care of the deceased person before the funeral in appropriate facilities. | £250.00 |
| Providing a suitable coffin | £425.00 |
| Viewing of the deceased person for family and friends, by appointment with the funeral director (where viewing is requested by the customer) | £250.00 |
| At a date and time you agree with the funeral director, taking the deceased person direct to the agreed cemetery or crematorium (normally within 20 miles of the funeral director’s premises) in a hearse or other appropriate vehicle | £220.00 |
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| Burial (funeral director’s charges only) | £1,405.00 |
| Cremation (funeral director’s charges plus the cremation fee)2 | £1,200.00 |
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For an Attended or Unattended burial funeral, the burial fee.1 In this local area, the typical cost of the burial fee for local residents is: For a new grave, you will also need to pay for the plot; for an existing grave with a memorial in place, you may need to pay a removal/replacement fee. In addition, the cemetery may charge a number of other fees. |
£1,545.00 |
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For an Attended cremation funeral, the cremation fee.2 In this local area, the typical cost of a cremation for local residents is: |
£965.00 |
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| Additional mileage (price per mile) | £1.50 |
| Additional transfers of the deceased person’s body (e.g. to their home, to a place of worship etc.) (price per transfer) | £350.00 |
| Collection and delivery of ashes | £45.00 |
| Embalming | £250.00 |
| Funeral officiant (e.g. celebrant, minister of religion etc.) | £275.00 |
| Services supplied outside of normal office hours | POA |
| Removal out of hours | £250.00 |
| Removal out of hours weekends & bank holidays | £350.00 |
| Oversized coffin & bearers | £250.00 |
| Limousine | £310.00 |
| Horsedrawn hearse from | £1,200.00 |
| Saturday & Sunday funerals POA | POA |
The funeral director can give you a full list of what they can supply. They are likely to charge for these additional products and services, so you may choose to take care of some arrangements without their involvement, or you can use a different supplier.
1. This fee (which is sometimes called the interment fee) is the charge made for digging and closing a new grave, or for reopening and closing an existing grave.
2. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, you will usually need to pay doctors’ fees as well. This is the charge for two doctors to sign the Medical Certificates for Cremation.
Prices correct as from 28/05/2025and may be subject to change. E & O.E.
1 Windmill Parade, Georges Hill, Widmer End, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP15 6DB, United Kingdom
24 hours
