There was a report on ITV news a couple of days ago about the difficulty people have paying for funerals, particularly where the death is unexpected. We look at ways to help paying for a funeral and alternative solutions.
There is a Social Fund, run by DWP, to contribute to the costs of funerals for people on certain benefits. But there must be no other person in work or not on benefits who could reasonably be expected to pay for the funeral, so for example if there are three children and one is on benefits, they won’t make a successful claim. This is particularly painful for people on low incomes.
The problem with the Social Fund is that the amount paid out not been raised for many years. The average amount granted is less than £1500. The average cost of a funeral is over £3000, so there is a big shortfall. The other problem can be that many funeral directors insist on a deposit of £1000 or more, which is impossible to raise at the time. We don’t insist on this where we can see it is difficult.
So what are the alternatives?
We also offer as low cost funeral for those who need it, at a cost of £2,495. There are some restrictions, but a funeral done simply with some family participation can be beautiful and leave good feelings and memories.
Also we offer direct cremation for £2190, where there is no funeral service with the coffin present. We bring the person who has died into our care and take them for cremation with no mourners present. Then the family can have a memorial ceremony of their choosing with the ashes present.
We are also happy to support families who want to do most things themselves but need a bit of support or advice and perhaps cool facilities, what we could call a ‘home funeral’.
We are open and transparent about pricing and we don’t make a profit on any items we buy in, such as coffins. So if you can find a coffin on Ebay or you want to use your own vehicle we don’t mind. For our costs please
click here >
We are finding that crowdfunding is becoming more acceptable, particularly where the person who died is younger and the death is completely unexpected, and this can cover the costs.
What you spend on the funeral is no reflection of the value you place on the person who has died. Doing things yourselves to make the funeral beautiful and heartfelt shows love and care. Our book,
‘We Need To Talk About The Funeral’ is full of ideas of how you can make a funeral beautiful, meaningful and purposeful.
Visit the ITV article
here >
