Alternative Funerals

If you’ve ever imagined your own funeral do you think of a grand procession and a marble headstone or an altogether more demure affair?

Before you start planning your funeral make sure you know fact from fiction. For instance, did you know:

• you don’t have to use a funeral director to organise a funeral
• you don’t have to use a hearse to move a body
• you don’t even have to have a coffin

It’s entirely up to you whether you choose a typical Victorian-style service offered by many undertakers or opt for something different. You could try a woodland burial, where people are buried in biodegradable containers or shrouds in a natural or woodland burial ground. In some cases a tree can be planted to mark the burial spot. You may even want to follow David Bowie and go for direct cremation, where your body is cremated without a ceremony.

A sporting send off

Some sports venues such as Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium can cater for funerals including:

• Blue and white coffin or traditional coffin with flag
• Funeral ceremony in a suite overlooking the pitch
• Area with displays of photos
• Your choice of music
• Order of service booklet with tributes and photos
• Football flower tributes
• After funeral reception with drinks and/or catering
• Committal at one of Manchester’s cemeteries or crematoria
• Scattering of some of the ashes in the Memorial Garden

Don’t leave the bill to the bereaved

The average cost of a funeral in the UK has risen by 3.9% to £3,702 over the past year, so it makes sense to plan ahead instead of leaving it to the bereaved to find the money.

A Whole of Life Plan can help take away some of the financial worry of planning or funding a funeral from your family or friends. These plans are designed to pay out a specified sum when you pass away (or are diagnosed with a terminal illness). The amount paid depends on the sum assured and type of cover you choose, you can decide this when you set up your plan.