There is no legal requirement to use the services of a funeral director to make the arrangements on your behalf. You may wish to make all of the arrangements yourself, although a degree of courage and determination will be needed.
If the death occurred at home, the deceased's doctor and nearest relative should be contacted as soon as possible. Once the doctor has certified the cause of death, the body may be washed and dressed.
If the death occurred in hospital the family will need to collect the body from the mortuary. A coffin can be made or purchased from a funeral director, and a large estate car or similar vehicle may be used for transportation of the deceased.
The death must be registered and a Certificate for Burial or Cremation obtained, to allow the funeral to go ahead. To find out how to do this, please visit the
Registering a Death page.
Arrangements for the ceremony can usually be made direct with the cemetery or crematorium. If a religious ceremony is required on the day of the funeral, the cemetery or crematorium usually has a list of ministers you may contact. If you do not wish to have a religious ceremony, a Civil Funeral Celebrant or Humanist officiant may be used, or you could even conduct the ceremony yourself.
Useful PublicationsWhat to do after a death in England and Wales - DSS leaflet D49. This can be downloaded from the
Department for Work and Pensions website, or you can get a free copy from the Benefits Agency or larger Post Offices.
Planning for a Funeral, Factsheet number 27 - This can be downloaded from the
Age Concern website, or you can order a free copy by telephoning Age Concern on 0808 808 6060. You may also find Factsheet 14, Dealing with Someone's Estate, useful. This too can be downloaded from the
Age Concernwebsite.
