The following information aims to give you a better understanding of what's involved in making funeral arrangements. This will help you make a more informed choice when the time comes.
North Lincolnshire Council is by law designated as a burial and cremation authority. In this capacity it provides cemeteries and the crematorium. The council does not, however, provide the same services as a funeral director.
Your questions answered
Basically the choice is between burial or cremation. But within those choices there are other options. Those currently available are:
Burial:
- Traditional grave - option to put a memorial or plants over the whole grave
- Lawn grave - only headstones are allowed, plus a limited space in which to put plants.
Cremation:
- Strewing of cremated remains - on lawns and under trees in the crematorium grounds (some areas are restricted)
- Cremated remains plots - available in most of our cemeteries and in some churchyards (you will need to talk to the vicar of the church)
- Collection of cremated remains for strewing or burial elsewhere.
This is a legal requirement and must be done within five days of the death (this can be extended to up to 14 days, if Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages gives permission).
You should contact your nearest Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages to find out where to go and if an appointment is necessary. The Scunthorpe Registrar is at 92 Oswald Road, telephone: 01724 842426.
If you use a funeral director, they will deal with this on your behalf and on your instruction.
If you choose not to use a funeral director, the hospital may allow you to use their facility (they may charge) if this is where the deceased passed away.
Alternatively, you may be able to arrange for the body to be left at rest in the public mortuary or with a funeral director (both may make a charge). It is possible to have a body at rest in a private house prior to a funeral.
Usually this can be done by a funeral director on your behalf. However, it is possible for relatives to collect a body from a hospital or nursing home, although a coffin may be needed to help with this.
You may wish to note that there is no obligation to use the funeral director to move a body to a place of rest for the funeral service itself.
Similarly, there is no obligation for the person who arranges for a funeral director to collect the body to actually pay for a funeral, if the responsibility legally rests with someone else.
This will obviously depend on what you want as part of the funeral. Most are optional but the burial/cremation fees are unavoidable. The chief costs are:
- Funeral directors' charges, for example: the cost of arranging and conducting the funeral and the hire of vehicles
- Coffin - the cost will vary according to the type you select
- Flowers
- Notice in the paper
- Burial/cremation fees
- Minister's fee
- Church/chapel fee
- Organist fee
No. However, many people find that the emotion of the occasion, lack of time and suitable vehicles means that they need the services of a funeral director.
Embalming is not necessary but the choice is usually yours, although circumstances may mean that it is essential. Embalming should not be confused with other procedures such as cosmetic treatment.
There is no legal requirement to use a coffin at all. However, public decency dictates that a body should be covered. Coffins came into use because they are an easy and decent way of transporting the deceased to the final resting place.
Some of the alternatives to a traditional coffin are listed below:
- Home-made coffin (advice on construction and regulations should be obtained from the Bereavement Services office).
- Shroud or winding sheet - the body is totally wrapped in this. Underneath will need to be incorporated a wooden board to provide rigidity for handling purposes. An outer 'shell' may be needed or the wrapped body may be visible to members of the general public.
- Cardboard coffin - versions of these are available either through funeral directors or wholesale suppliers.
Some funeral directors and some coffin manufacturers will sell individual coffins. If you have difficulties, the Bereavement Services office will be pleased to advise you.
Basically anything that can legally and realistically be accommodated. This council is happy for you to have the funeral that suits your needs, no matter how different it may be from any other funeral. Obviously, legal and practical requirements must be taken into consideration.
Many people get comfort from a traditional style funeral. However, you do not have to have a minister. The service does not have to be religious. You do not have to have a service at all.
Services prior to burial or cremation can be held in churches which are often more flexible in terms of the time allowed and number of people attending for a funeral service. Additionally, using a local church may help reduce the travelling time of those attending the funeral.
At Woodlands Crematorium there is the Book of Remembrance in which a permanent entry can be purchased.
In the cemeteries you may have (within guidelines set by North Lincolnshire Council) a memorial made from stone, metal or wood. You must get permission from the Bereavement Services office before you place anything permanent on the grave.
Yes. There are many pre-payment plans available through funeral directors and other organisations. You will need to check if the plan includes disbursements, part of them or none at all. For security, of what is essentially an investment, it is advisable to choose a plan that holds the money in a recognised trust fund. Some people open a savings account in which they put a sum of money specifically to pay for a funeral. A potential problem with this could be that the interest does not keep up with the increase in funeral costs, leading to a shortfall when the money is needed.
There are various ways this can be done, for exampe naming an executor and telling them; leaving a written note with paperwork in your home; telling various members of your family.
Wills - While these are a good idea, they are often not read until after a funeral, and so are not the best place to make known your funeral wishes.
Legally only human remains can be buried in North Lincolnshire Council's cemeteries or cremated at the Crematorium. However, there are some specialised pet cemeteries and crematoria throughout the country.
- The Dead Good Funerals Book by Sue Gill & John Fox (ISBN 0 9527 159 0 2)
- The Natural Death Handbook - for inexpensive, green, family-organised funerals, edited by Nicholas Albery, Gil & Joseph Elliot (ISBN 0 9523280 3 8)
- Davies' Law of Burial, Cremation & Exhumation, 6th edition, by David A. Smale (ISBN 0 7219 0064X)
The above titles should all be available to buy from a bookshop or you could borrow them from your local library.
- What to Do After a Death - a booklet published by the DSS - can be obtained free of charge from local offices.
The people who deal regularly with funeral arrangements are:
- Funeral Directors - for funeral arrangements
- Ministers of Religion (contact your local church) - for content of the service
- Bereavement Services Office, Woodlands Crematorium - for general advice and memorialisation after burial or cremation.