Funerals

On the death of a family member, the next of kin, (normally a spouse or a child) should contact a local funeral director first to arrange an appointment to discuss the practicalities of the funeral, cremation or burial. If the deceased had a Funeral Plan many of the arrangements may already have been made: for example, whether it should be a cremation or a burial; what the hymns and music there should be; who will give the address or any tributes etc.

When availability has been assessed by the funeral director, they will contact the vicar who will then be in touch with the family to help you plan and prepare for services in the church and/or crematorium.

Sometime after the funeral, relatives may wish to have a stone memorial placed over the site of the burial. If this is in a churchyard, the vicar will receive an application form with a description of the memorial from the stonemason. It should be noted that churchyard regulations are often more stringent than those of civil cemeteries because all of our churches are listed and so are their churchyards.

The scattering of ashes in churchyards is not permitted. Relatives may wish to hold a memorial service for the deceased, say on the anniversary of the death, but in any case, many churches remember by name those who have died in the previous year at special services on or around All Souls Day, 2nd November.

You are always welcome to come into our churches to remember loved ones.