Your funeral plan is
safe with us
We understand how important it is to know that the money you spend on a funeral plan is properly looked after. That's why at Westerleigh Funeral Plans we take measures to ensure your money is kept safe, no matter what the future holds.
Authorised and Regulated by the FCA
Westerleigh Funeral Plans is a trading name of Distinct Funeral Plans Limited who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to sell and carry out funeral plan contracts.
To comply with FCA requirements Westerleigh Funeral Plans must;
Hold and invest money received into an independent trust fund
Maintain a minimum solvency in the fund of 110% of the fund’s liabilities
Have the accounts of the fund independently audited each year by a qualified accountant
Produce an annual Solvency Assessment Report (SAR) showing the level of solvency of the fund
Have the fund actuarially valued each year by an independent actuary to determine the ability of the fund to meet its obligations to plan holders
Provide detailed data and copies of the annual audited accounts and actuarial valuation to the FCA for review
Ensure the trust is run by professional managing trustees, the majority of which must be independent of Westerleigh Funeral Plans
Ensure that the money in the fund is managed by a FCA regulated investment manager
In the event of a failure, plan holder funds are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme
How your money is protected with Westerleigh
Funeral Plans
Every customer who takes out a funeral plan with Westerleigh Funeral Plans is fully protected, whether you're paying in a single payment or over 12 months. Here's how we safeguard your money.
Funds from your funeral plan are held in a secure trust managed by trustees
Your money can only be ever be used toward the cost of your funeral and nothing else
When the person for whom the plan is intended dies, we contact the trustees to request a withdrawal which is only approved after funeral arrangements have been made
The Distinct Funeral Plans Trust
If you choose to pay for your Westerleigh funeral plan with either a single payment or over 12 monthly payments, the money you pay goes into the legally separate and independent Distinct Funeral Plans Trust. The Distinct Funeral Plans Trust is actively managed and formally audited and valued each year. The Solvency Assessment Report for 2024, which is produced by an independent actuary, was published on 31st March 2025 and shows the trust is fully funded and has a solvency level of 130.9%, well above the amount it needs to cover all funeral plan costs.
As an added security for plan holders, Westerleigh Funeral Plans is owned by the Westerleigh Group. The Westerleigh Group is the UK’s largest cremation services provider. They have crematoriums across the UK and perform over 74,000 cremation services a year. The Westerleigh Group is there to perform the cremation services for Westerleigh Funeral Plans plan holders.
The trust is independent
The Distinct Funeral Plans Trust is legally separate from Westerleigh Funeral Plans. It is run by professional managing trustees, who ensure the primary beneficiaries, the funeral plan holders, interests are protected.
All monies are paid into the trust’s bank account, which is held with Lloyd’s Bank plc. Royal London Asset Management, a leading UK FCA-regulated investment manager, carefully invests the funds so they grow with inflation. This allows us to guarantee we can cover the services included in your plan.
If Westerleigh Funeral Plans were to go out of business, you may be entitled to claim compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if we cannot meet our obligations.
The trust is fully funded
The trust exists to hold and invest the money that plan holders pay. The managing trustees work with Westerleigh Funeral Plans to ensure that there is enough money to cover the cost of every plan holder’s funeral. The trust’s financial records are reviewed annually by an independent auditor who checks that all the financial records are accurate and comply with laws and regulations.
An actuarial review is then undertaken, which is completed by Zenith Actuarial, who assess and report on the Trust’s ability to meet all its promises and obligations to plan holders from the money it holds. If the trust is 100% solvent, then it has enough money to cover the cost of every plan holder’s funeral. The actuary reported that the Distinct Funeral Plans Trust is 130.9% solvent, meaning it has more money than it needs to cover every plan holder’s funeral.
Our latest solvency report
A copy of our latest Solvency Assessment Report (SAR) is transparently available for you to read below.
The Trustees
The managing trustees are responsible for managing the money that plan holders pay and their primary responsibility is to protect the interests of funeral plan holders. The managing trustees are supported in their duties by various expert and professional advisers to ensure that the money is prudently invested in a low-risk manner.
Graeme McAusland
Independent Managing Trustee and Chair of the Trustees
Graeme is a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries and has more than 35 years’ experience in the financial sector. Graeme currently serves as Non-Executive Chair of Metfriendly and as a Non-Executive Director of The Medical Defence Union, where he chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. He was previously Chief Executive of The Children’s Mutual and Chief Executive of the Funeral Planning Authority.
Simon Richards
Independent Managing Trustee
Simon is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and has a long career in financial services with extensive knowledge of investment solutions involving managing assets against liabilities. Simon has been at Insight Investment for 15 years, where he currently serves as Head of Insurance Solutions. Prior to this Simon held senior actuarial roles at JP Morgan and NPI.
Zoe Tindall-Doman
Managing Trustee
Zoe has been the CFO of our parent company, Westerleigh Group, since March 2021. With over 20 years’ experience as a CFO in multi-site, private equity-backed businesses across numerous sectors including leisure & hospitality, healthcare and technology infrastructure, Zoe is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a graduate of the London School of Economics.
We're here if you have any questions or are ready to set up your funeral plan. Give our helpful team a call today.
Call us FREE on 0808 303 7657