Our service begins when you contact us, whether by telephone or calling in personally and often extends way beyond the day of the funeral.
We will discuss the preliminary details, whereupon if your loved one has died at home or at a nursing home we will, with your permission, gently remove them to our funeral home/private chapel with doctors consent, whatever the time, day or night. During the following meetings we will arrange a funeral that meets all needs and requirements of all those concerned.
In all aspects of the funeral arrangements we will advise on the procedures and legal requirements. Whilst arranging the funeral, we always advise on all costs and charges involved.
The funeral account itself is divided into two separate parts, the Funeral Directors costs and the Disbursements. These contain our professional fees and all forseen costs. These include the provision of twenty-four hour on call, our professional services in making the funeral arrangements and arranging documentation and necessary personal attendances, the conveyance of your loved one to our private chapel and the use of the same until the day of the funeral.
Relatives and friends may wish to visit the chapel to privately pay their last respects before the day of the funeral; we will only allow this with the permission of the family members, or person responsible for the funeral.
Hygienic attendances are also considered to be important by us; the last time you saw your loved one may have left a distressing memory, perhaps in hospital or for the purposes of identification. In any event we believe that in asking us to look after a family member, you can be certain that the best that could be done for them has been done, whether you wish to visit or not.
The hearse for the funeral with chauffeur and four or six bearers are also an essential part of the procession. Unless requested otherwise, we page the coffin and hearse at all time. As we arrive at the families or deceased's residence and away, likewise at the Church, Crematorium, Cemetery. We feel this reflects our past traditions that we believe is the ultimate in reverence and respect.
Limousines are charged for separately. This ensures that the family is not charged for something they may not require. The charge for limousines is fully inclusive to cover transport from the address at which your family requires to leave from, through to the wake venue or family home, within a limited distance. Each limousine is chauffeur driven and will normally carry up to six mourners.
Disbursements are essentially fees that we pay out on, on behalf of the family, i.e. Doctors Fees (where appropriate), Crematorium/Cemetery Fees and Parochial Fees etc. Our verbal estimate will detail the approximate cost of any disbursements. However, you will appreciate that we will have no direct control over these charges, and they could therefore be subject to slight variations. These costs can then be settled by a single payment, rather than by many separate bills to the estate.
No one can be cremated until the cause of death is defined. There are two cremation certificates forms 4 & 5. No 4 med by the deceased's own GP. No 5 med by a doctor, within another practice.
These certificates must be paid for and listed under disbursements on our estimate and account. The cremation certificates are not required when the death is referred to the coroner, hence there will be no charge, but possibly a short delay.