On nearly all occasions a funeral service will work best, and provide the greatest degree of comfort, when conducted by a trained, professional, person. They will structure the service, ensure it contains all the elements that you wish to include, and give you advice on any additions that may be necessary.

In most cases this person would visit you in the days leading up to the funeral to talk about the deceased and their life. They will want to know about the family and the things that the individual has achieved. They will also be able to discuss hymns, or music of other kinds, with you also.

As Funeral Directors we would arrange all this for you and would approach whoever we felt would be best suited to the take care of the service for you, but the final choice of minister, be they religious or non-religious, still rests with you and if you are unhappy with any aspect of this you must let us know as soon as possible. In the case of individuals who have a specific religion, and who may even worship at a particular church or chapel, we would first have to contact the Minister or Priest who looked after the parish in which the deceased lived. (some families, if they have strong links with a church, may talk with their Minister or Priest, before contacting us, so as to inform them of the death, or imminent death, and sometimes to arrange for last rites or private prayers.)

Should a family be unaware of who their local clergy are we can arrange for them to meet with a minister, before someone’s death, to give them the chance to talk through how the service would be. Most Priests or Ministers would gladly take the time to discuss future funeral arrangements with any of their parishioners.

If a person, or family, wish to have a Humanist or non-religious service, there are a number of people we can contact who will take care of this for us. These services can include many different elements such as poetry, readings, personal music and tributes from family and friends. From experience, and because they do not follow a strict pattern like a Church service, these kinds of services can offer more flexibility and be tailored very much to a person, or families, specific wishes.

When considering a choice of Church or Minister there are a number of questions that you can ask yourself that may help you to decide what would suit your particular arrangements best. Some of the things to consider are listed here;

• Do you, or the deceased, have links with a particular Church?
• Would you and the family benefit from the help and support of the Church community?
• Would you be uncomfortable with religion being included in the funeral service?
• Is there a particular person you would like us to contact to conduct the service?
• Do you want to have a service in Church, or use the chapel at the crematorium?
• Would you like us to find you a suitable venue in your area to hold a non-religious service in?
• If it is to be a burial would a service at the graveside be more suitable if there is only going to be a small number of mourners?
• Would a private committal service, followed by a memorial service at church, be preferable