Organising a Funeral Yourself with the Help of Comparethecoffin.com

Quite often we are first people that a family member may have spoken to about the death of the person outside the immediate family. We come up very highly in search engines like Google and Bing.

Obviously, people are looking at Coffins and Caskets at cheap and best value prices which are far better than those of a funeral director.

One idea which I suggest is have you thought of a DIY funeral; i.e. Do It Yourself!

A high proportion of customers have no idea that this is something you can actually do.

Basically it’s 3 stage process:

Once you have the death certificate, usually done in the hospital, (or by 2 doctors if the person is at home). Call the registry office, the same place where you register births and marriages, and make an appointment. Recently there were stories saying that there are delay of up to 3 weeks in some locations, but usually you should be able to get an appointment within a few days.

We you register the death you will received a set of paperwork, and one of those document is a green piece of paper. In the trade it’s known as the “Green Ticket”.

Once you have this document you are free to contract the relevant burial cemetery, or crematorium if you are opting for a cremation instead. These will accept a booking from a member of the public without too much fuss.

They may have questions about the coffin, it going to be up to code, will it be ok, is it suitable for cremation etc etc.

All coffins supplied by comparethecoffin.com are supplied by manufacturers and wholesalers who are part of the FFMA, http://www.ffma.co.uk/, it’s like a kite mark for coffins.

The other thing to sort out is transport.

Any vehicle as long as it’s got 6 foot of flat space in the back is fine. There is no special licence or insurance required. You don’t need to inform the police as one customer asked.

Alternatively if you don’t feel up to doing it yourself you can hire cars and drivers from a carriage master company. Many funeral directors don not own vehicles themselves as they are a serious investment, but just rent them when they need them.

One company we work with a lot is Greens Carriage Masters but there are others all over the country.

Alternatives to Traditional Funeral Directors

Losing a loved one is extremely difficult and the rising costs associated with funerals can make this challenging time even more stressful.

Lots local councils offer a low-cost funeral option with the comfort of knowing that care and quality isn’t compromised.

Funeral Advisor will be on hand to discuss your needs.

What will the Funeral Service Cost?

Below is a rough estimate of a council services, The Coffin cost will be removed as Comparethecoffin.com will be supplying the coffin or casket.

Funeral Service	Price	Details
Cremation	£1,500	The price includes cremation from a selection of local crematoriums (including third party costs), a choice of a standard coffin and small floral tribute.
Burial	£1,200	The price includes the organising and liaising with third parties and the transport of your loved one to the cemetery. We will discuss the costs of plots with yourself and the cemetery team separately.

What is Included in the Councils’ Funeral Service?

These are the things that are often done as part of the service:

• They will collect the person and take them into their care
• The person will rest in our secure mortuary facility where you will be able to visit during normal working hours at no additional cost
• They will transport the person from the mortuary to the crematorium or cemetery at the appointed time of the service
• The Funeral Advisor will be there at the funeral to support and guide you through the funeral service

What Additional Services can I Choose?

They understand that while you may want a simple funeral, keeping costs down, there may be some additional services that you would like, in accordance with traditions or beliefs.

The staff will be happy to talk through your needs and help you decide on the options that best suit you – we will then be able to confirm any additional costs that may be incurred.

What isn’t Included in the Funeral Service?

All prices are for services within 20 miles of local council concerned – there may be an extra cost for use of this service outside of the 20 mile radius.

No additional transport for mourners is included within the price at present.

Government support for funeral costs

Arranging a persons’ funeral is difficult enough without having to worry about the cost. If you are struggling to pay for the cost of a funeral, you may be eligible for help from the government.