Funeral Services
We hold funeral services at both St Andrew’s and All Saints’ churches. Please do get in touch with a Funeral Directors, who will make all the arrangements with us on your behalf.
Bereavement Support
Losing a loved one can be one of the most difficult experiences we ever have to deal with and how each of us copes with bereavement can be very different. The Bereavement Team at Dibden Churches will do all we can to help you through your loss. We are not bereavement counsellors but simply offer a listening ear. If we conducted the funeral service of your loved one, a member of our Bereavement Team will contact you to offer a visit or a phone call if you would like someone to talk to. No pressure will be put on you to accept a visit or attend church. We know that some people find that they would like someone to talk to months, or even longer, after their bereavement. Whether we conducted your loved one’s funeral or not, please feel free to contact the church office at any time if you would like to speak with a visitor.
Memorial Service
On the last Sunday in October, we hold a memorial service at All Saints’ Church, Dibden. The service is an opportunity to remember those who have passed away and as part of the proceedings the names of loved ones are read out. If we conducted your loved ones funeral you will receive an invitation to this service in the first year after your loss. You are always welcome to attend.
Living with Loss
This is a bereavement group held on the first Wednesday of each month in the Garden Lounge at St Andrews Centre, Dibden Purlieu, from 3pm to 4pm.
A warm welcome awaits you with tea, coffee and friendly faces. There is no need to talk if you don’t feel able; we are there to offer support and introduce you to others who are experiencing similar feelings. You can be at any stage of bereavement to join us and you don’t need to have been involved with the church to come along. We would love to see you.
All Saints’ Churchyard
Burials
All Saints’ Churchyard has reached capacity for full burials. If you have enquiries, please contact the church office.
Burials of Ashes
To organise a Burial of Ashes at All Saints’ Churchyard, you can either make arrangements through a funeral directors, or directly with us by contacting the church office. The cost for a burial of ashes is currently £198.00 if arranged directly through the church, with an additional £120.00 for the gravedigger to prepare the plot, making a total of £318.00. This applies to a new single plot, a new double plot, or adding ashes to an existing ashes or burial plot. If it’s a new ashes plot, there is an additional £15 to pay.
In order to carry out a Burial of Ashes, we will need the ashes certificate. This should have been given to you with your relation’s ashes in an envelope – sometimes it is inside the box. If you do not have the ashes certificate, please contact the crematorium, who will be able to issue you with a duplicate.
Please note that we plan to update the pathways and drainage in our Garden of Remembrance near the five-bar gate: more details here.
For more details and to arrange a burial of ashes, please contact the church office.
Memorial Stones
To have a memorial stone created for your loved one at All Saints’ Churchyard, you will need to contact a stonemason. As we are a Church of England Church, we have to comply with all the regulations from the Diocese of Winchester. The stonemasons have copies of the complete regulations from the Church of England, and will be able to advise on colour, size, wording and design. Once you have a design chosen, the stonemason will put it together in a permit which they will send to us. Once we have checked it over and signed it, we will send it back to the stonemasons, and they will be able to go ahead with the works. For insurance purposes, all installations must be made by the stonemasons.
Locating a Grave
All grave spaces and burial of ashes plots are assigned a reference code based in their location. The first part of the code refers to the section of the Churchyard, the second to the row and the third to the plot number. Please see the example below:
EXT FF 5 = Extension area, row FF, plot number 5.
You can download a map showing the locations of the churchyard areas here:
If you do not know the reference code of the plot you are looking for, please contact the church office.