Planning a funeral

Would you choose a direct cremation like David Bowie?

Back in January 2016, in a pre-Covid era, life was pretty different. David Bowie died at his home in New York, having suffered from liver cancer for 18 months. He was reportedly ‘secretly cremated’ without any of his friends or family present, as he did not wish to have a funeral service. This news sparked a surge in people looking at direct cremation.

If you have never heard of the direct cremation, also known as the unattended funeral, you may be wondering what is involved. The direct cremation offers a lower cost, no frills alternative to a typical funeral service. There is no service for family or mourners to attend, the deceased person’s body is simply delivered to a crematorium and cremated. We offer this service for £1,500, which has no hidden costs, as we respect that not everyone will wish to have – or want to pay for – a full funeral service.

The pandemic has forced many to question the assumptions around a ‘good’ funeral and made some realise that having a funeral is not always the most important thing for a family or community to do after a person has died.

With the cost of dying on the rise, for those not wanting a fuss or looking for a cheaper option the direct cremation option is appealing. Particularly in the current climate, where living costs are also rising and funeral poverty is a key consideration for a lot of people. According to the Sun Life Cost of Dying Report, since 2018 the number of direct cremations has increased from 3% to 18% across all organised funerals. Inevitably, this also means that a lot of disposal service companies have been set up in order to make money and take away any personal touches.

We are hearing some awful stories from families and their experiences regarding these disposal companies, and so we urge you to do your research, as not everything is as it appears. Most local funeral directors offer this service, but not many people are aware of this. So why should you choose a local company over a national company? J The costs are often cheaper, fully transparent and there will be no hidden charges, e.g. for returning your ashes or collecting you sooner from the hospital J The person that has died will never be left within a hospital mortuary for weeks at a time J You will only ever be cremated within a local crematorium J Your family or friends will be notified of the time and date

of the service J Your family or friends will be allowed to stand outside the crematorium if they wish J The ashes will be collected within three days of the service and retained until you are ready to collect J You will be working with a smaller local team who will treat you like a person and not a number. n

Kelly Bowsher is the first female funeral director, and soon to be family member, at Tom Owen and Son – an award-winning, family run, independent community Funeral Director situated in Llandudno. Thet provide a modern fresh approach to organising funerals that empowers you to have a unique funeral that is fitting for the person that has died. For more information, please get in touch with one of the team by calling 01492 860 280 or visit their blog and website at www.tomowenandson.com/blog