Now with streaming video
Posted by Vale The Lancashire Telegraph reported last week that it is planning to put a video streaming service into it’s Burnley Crematorium. The chapel proved too small on over 50 occasions last year and, with the video service, people would be able to watch the ceremony on a big screen or over (a […]
A woodman’s funeral
Here’s an account by Charles Moore of the funeral of a neighbour: Tony Woodall was a woodman and neighbour of ours in Sussex. Unusually for a rural family in the South East, the Woodalls are Catholics (I am told there was an Irish grandmother in the case). Every Sunday at our Catholic church, Tony […]
What I Want From A Funeral Director
Posted by Gloria Mundi Another opinionated passage from a sometimes-frustrated celebrant. Please remember – it’s only my opinion! So with apologies to some wonderful funeral directors I know, here goes. I am not anti-funeral directors. I think their job is frequently stressful and demanding in ways the rest of us may hardly understand. Also, some […]
Publishing event of the year!
The Natural Death Handbook, Fifth Edition A thoroughly updated and revised edition of the Natural Death Centre‘s celebrated handbook. Now presented alongside a new collection of essays on death, dying and funeral practices by doctors, historians, authors, poets, theologians and artists including Richard Barnett, David Jay Brown, Dr Sheila Cassidy, Charles Cowling, Bill Drummond, Stephen Grasso, […]
There were six of us in the house. Seconds ago there had been seven.
Fran and her Mum on her 70th Fran Hall, a funeral industry practitioner of many years’ standing, much admired by the GFG, now works as a consultant. She is also the newly-appointed Chair of the Natural Death Centre. For years Fran successfully managed to balance detatchment and empathy in her professional life, so how did it feel when […]
The best disinfectant part 1
There’s no beating around the bush here: funeral pricing must be more transparent. Most funeral directors are careful, honest and, often, painfully aware of the costs that people face when someone dies. They run businesses, but know that they are also offering a service that affects people’s well being at the deepest levels. For the […]
Fair comment?
Posted by Vale Here’s a story from last Friday’s This Is Local London website. Teddington campaign group launches petition against spiralling funeral costs Campaigners have encouraged people in the borough to sign a petition against rocketing funeral prices. The campaign group Fair Funerals aims to raise awareness about the sharp increase in prices in the […]
The Surprising Satisfactions of a Home Funeral
Posted by Vale “So a few weeks before Bob died, my 15-year-old son, Harper, and I made a coffin out of plywood and deck screws from Home Depot…We routed rabbet joints for a tight construction. “I guess we wouldn’t want him falling out the bottom,” Harper said. “That would reflect poorly on our carpentry skills,” […]
A good funeral: part 1
Posted by Sweetpea In the light of our recent discussions about the merits of secular, civil and religious funerals, one interesting thread started to appear. Namely, what should a funeral not fail to include? Can a funeral ever really be meaningful to anyone? Does any funeral do the things that people need it to do? […]
On the map?
Posted by Vale Are you on the map? On the 1st August a new information service for consumers was launched. It’s called ’Funeralmap’ and it aims to make it easier for someone to find out about funeral related businesses in a locality. You enter a postcode or the name of a town, select the type […]
