One way to ensure that you have a funeral appropriate to your wishes and beliefs and representative of yourself as a person is to plan it yourself and leave written instructions with your next of kin, executor and solicitor. You can appoint someone to make the arrangements at the time, if you wish.

Or perhaps you want to help someone who has a life-threatening illness plan their funeral.

Planning a funeral and setting aside some money to pay for it is a great help to those left behind and can save stress and worry at an already stressful and upsetting time. There is no legal obligation to carry out your wishes, but people usually try to carry out the wishes of the dead.

Our book, We Need To Talk About The Funeral - 101 Practical Ways To Commemorate And Celebrate A Life, written by Jane Morrell and Simon Smith and with a foreword by Clare Rayner OBE, is a beautiful and practical colour handbook, which offers you all the information, ideas and reassurance you need to prepare a personal funeral that is both an expression of loss and a celebration of life. (Accent Press 2007 ISBN 978-1906125011)
“It has all the information that you need. It is also rather inspiring.” Lesley Garner, The Daily Telegraph.

It is available from bookshops at £14.99, from Amazon or, for immediate use, you can download the entire book as a pdf file for just £9.99 (Buy Now link).

Alternatively, we provide a funeral planning service whereby we will meet or talk to you on the telephone and help you to think about what you might like. Call 01803 840779 for details.