Happy New Year to all our followers. Following the lockdown announcement last night, this is how funerals are looking in England now. As before, a maximum of 30 friends and family can attend a service but only six people are permitted to attend a wake. Crematoriums...
Several weeks into this pandemic, and as funeral content is forced to shrink, a space opens up to develop new practices, with the possibility of greater poignancy and deepened intimacy amongst the much reduced attendance. A small, simple funeral can bring intimacy...
I can clearly see the shapes and shades of the back of my father’s hands, the bruised copper bracelet he wore on his wrist to help with his arthritis: and he died in 1977. I vividly remember my mother’s lovely rings. They were part of her. Amongst the 90...
A friend in Stroud sent me a link to an article in The Telegraph about ‘Britain’s Craziest Funerals’. Big colour picture of a brassy gold Batesville ‘Promethean’ casket ($24K) was followed by a bling-filled piece (possibly written by the...
Before the actual funeral we always check the grave for correct placement (and sizing!); often we would line it with hay, or leaves, or lavender – even soft branches – anything to soften the rather austere looking clay/shale floor. Checking the grave at Gloucester...
What to do when someone dies
We will tell you exactly what to do, and help and guide you through each of the different stages.