A Natural Undertaking

What A Natural Undertaking does

A Natural Undertaking is an independent, Birmingham-based funeral director founded in 2014 by Carrie Weekes and Fran Glover as a private limited company (A Natural Undertaking Ltd, England and Wales). The firm offers cremation, burial, natural burial, home funeral, and bespoke ceremony services to bereaved families and proactive planners across the West Midlands, operating from two owned premises — a headquarters at 290 Vicarage Road, Kings Heath (opened May 2018) and a second branch at 1340 Stratford Road, Hall Green (opened October 2024) — supported by 24/7 phone availability.

The company's service offering spans three published price tiers: Local Direct Cremation at £1,595, Simple and Natural Cremation/Burial at £2,375, and a flexible 'A Natural Undertaking Funeral' starting at £1,835 plus options, with third-party disbursements (crematorium, celebrant, flowers) billed separately. Ancillary capabilities include eco-friendly coffins and urns, two electric Nissan Leaf hearses, partnerships with natural burial grounds (Westall Park, Sun Rising), home funeral support, and pre-planning 'Funeral Wishes' workshops. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on a standard website, social media channels, and physical premises.

Revenue is generated entirely through professional service fees on one-time funeral engagements, with no subscription, recurring, or institutional contract layer. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the two branches, inbound phone enquiries, and a community-led growth model that includes the co-founded BrumYODO organization, Death Cafe hosting, the annual 'A Matter of Life and Death' festival, literature and community festival participation, and educational workshops. The company has remained privately held by its founders with no disclosed external funding.

Name

A Natural Undertaking

Legal name

A Natural Undertaking Ltd

Website

https://anaturalundertaking.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Independent funeral director in Birmingham, UK, offering cremation, burial, natural burial, home funerals, and bespoke ceremonies. Founded in 2014 by Carrie Weekes and Fran Glover, serving bereaved families and proactive planners through two branches and community-led engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Funeral Services: One-time funeral arrangement services including cremation, burial, natural burial, and home funeral options. Revenue generated from professional fees plus optional add-ons and third-party disbursements (crematorium, celebrant, flowers).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

A Natural Undertaking operates an independent funeral directing practice in Birmingham offering cremation, burial, natural burial, and home funeral arrangements, complemented by eco-friendly coffin and urn products, electric hearse transportation, and pre-planning workshops. The company provides tiered standardized pricing — Local Direct Cremation at £1,595, Simple & Natural Funeral at £2,375, and a Fully Flexible Funeral starting at £1,835 plus add-ons — and serves both immediate-need bereaved families and proactive planners across the West Midlands from two branch locations.

Product overview

A Natural Undertaking operates as an independent funeral director offering a comprehensive range of funeral services centered around choice, transparency, and environmental responsibility. The core offering includes customizable funeral services (cremation and burial) with their 'A Natural Undertaking Funeral' package as the foundation. Supporting this are specialized add-on offerings including eco-friendly coffin and urn options, electric hearse transportation using Nissan Leaf vehicles, natural burial ground partnerships, home funeral support, pre-planning workshops, direct cremation, and simple/natural funeral packages. The company positions itself as offering 'Simple, modern, traditional, green or completely bespoke' options, emphasizing that environmental choices are embedded into their core services rather than being premium add-ons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Funeral Services (Cremation and Burial) Full-service funeral director offering cremation and burial services, including traditional, modern, green, and completely bespoke funeral options. Services encompass the entire funeral arrangement process from initial consultation through to the funeral ceremony for bereaved families in the Birmingham area.
• Direct Cremation Low-cost direct cremation option with no ceremony priced at £1,595 for local direct cremation, providing an affordable alternative for families seeking simple arrangements.
• Simple & Natural Funeral Package Affordable funeral package covering basic cremation or burial at £2,375, designed to provide essential services without unnecessary additions for families seeking a straightforward farewell.
• Fully Flexible Funeral Customizable funeral service starting at £1,835 plus additional options, allowing families to tailor every aspect of the ceremony to their specific needs and preferences.
• Eco-Friendly Coffins and Urns Range of environmentally friendly coffin and urn options including wicker, willow, bamboo, cardboard coffins, biodegradable shrouds, and Paulownia wood coffins, designed to be affordable and accessible rather than premium.
• Natural Burial Natural burial service offered through partnerships with natural burial grounds including Westall Park (near Redditch) and Sun Rising burial ground (near Stratford), providing traditional burial grounds and natural/green burial options.
• Home Funerals Support for families who wish to keep a loved one at home after death, including care of the body, shroud options, and family-led funeral arrangements, plus training and guidance for home-based end-of-life care.
• Electric Hearse Transportation Electric Nissan Leaf hearse fleet for environmentally conscious funeral transportation, offering families a greener alternative to traditional diesel/petrol hearses.
• Funeral Wishes Planning Pre-planning services and workshops to help individuals document and communicate their funeral wishes to family members, including informal workshop sessions and guidance on planning ahead.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 tonnes of carbon emissions saved over 5 years with first electric hearse
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BrumYODOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2017Co-founded community organization with mac at Cannon Hill Park and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Organizes 'A Matter of Life and Death' festival during Dying Matters Awareness Week. Multiple events including Death Cafe, coffin weaving, panel discussions, and creative workshops.
• Association of Green Funeral DirectorscoreOthers · 1 January 2014Industry association committed to bringing natural funerals into the mainstream. Member since business founding in 2014.
• SAIF (National Society of Allied & Independent Funeral Directors)coreOthersTrade body membership providing complaints resolution, code of practice, and industry representation. Member since founding in 2014.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Dignity plc: Largest UK listed funeral services provider with national network of funeral directors. Broad incumbent operating across traditional and contemporary funeral services, including cremation, and competing indirectly with A Natural Undertaking for the same UK funeral customer base at scale.
• Co-op Funeralcare: Major UK funeral services brand operated by the Co-operative Group with nationwide branches offering traditional and simple funeral packages. Comparable as a large-scale incumbent funeral services provider competing in the same UK death care market.

Direct peers

• Tulip Cremation: UK-based direct cremation provider with a fixed-price unattended cremation offering. Competes on simplicity, transparency, and price in the same unattended-cremation niche that A Natural Undertaking targets with its low-cost direct cremation service.
• Beyond (formerly Beyond Cremations): Direct cremation provider in the UK offering unattended cremation at a fixed price with online arrangement. Comparable as a low-friction, price-transparent competitor targeting the same modern, cost-conscious bereaved families seeking alternatives to traditional funeral directors.
• Pure Cremation: UK-based direct cremation specialist offering unattended cremation services as a low-cost, simple alternative. Directly comparable to A Natural Undertaking's £1,595 local direct cremation product and competes for the same price-sensitive segment in the broader UK market.
• Poppy's Funerals: Independent UK funeral operator offering simple, affordable direct cremation and attended funeral services. Comparable as a digital-first, transparent-pricing independent that competes for the same eco/moderate-spend family segments, though operating on a national digital model versus A Natural Undertaking's regional physical presence.
• Distinct Cremations: UK direct cremation provider with a nationwide unattended cremation proposition. Comparable pricing model and value proposition overlap with A Natural Undertaking's lower-cost direct cremation service for simple dispositions.
• Simplicity Cremations: UK direct cremation specialist offering unattended cremation services via a streamlined online process. Competes head-to-head with A Natural Undertaking's direct cremation tier for the price-led segment of the market.

Emerging players

• The Natural Death Centre: UK charity advocating for family-led, environmentally friendly funerals and operating a directory of recommended funeral directors including A Natural Undertaking. Highly adjacent ecosystem participant shaping the natural funeral segment that A Natural Undertaking serves.

Others

• Funeral Guide: UK funeral price comparison and information platform that helps consumers find and compare funeral directors. Adjacent enabling participant that channels demand toward recommended providers like A Natural Undertaking and shapes consumer awareness of transparent pricing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/newundertaking
• Facebookfacebook.com/anaturalundertaking
• Instagraminstagram.com/a_naturalundertaking
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a-natural-undertaking

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about A Natural Undertaking