We believe it’s time for a more open conversation about death, dying and funerals.
In this blog, we give practical advice and ideas to help you if you are arranging a funeral or experiencing bereavement; answer your frequently asked questions/FAQs; and share stories, interviews and opinions.
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Would you choose to be embalmed? There’s no right or wrong answer, but it’s certainly worth considering. That’s because roughly half of us will be embalmed, even though there’s no legal or hygienic reason why we should be. Here’s what embalming really involves and why we prefer a natural approach.
Poppy’s funeral director Amy Szott and her mum Joy sat down with a group of close friends and lots of prosecco to talk about funerals. They explain why they wanted to plan Joy’s funeral far in advance and share their advice on how to throw your own funeral planning party.
Would you like to be buried in a coffin the shape of an aeroplane, or maybe one inspired by the Rolling Stones? There are so many different ways to help personalise a coffin, from amazing sculptural builds to gorgeous (and occasionally playful) images. We’ve put together a collection of incredible coffins to help fire up your imagination.
Many people don’t realise that you can keep someone at home after they have died. You may choose to do this to care for a person before their funeral or simply to help say goodbye. We believe that this can be an important and empowering choice for some families, and have put together this practical guide.
As part one of our series tackling the issue of funeral poverty, we’re looking at public health funerals, which used to be known as pauper’s funerals. A public health funeral is simply a funeral that’s arranged and paid for by a local authority or council. Applying for a public health funeral can be a challenge, so we’ve spoken to Quaker Social Action’s Down to Earth, a charity that supports people struggling with funeral costs.
Katrina Spade is on a mission to transform how we think about death care. She’s the founder of Recompose, a Seattle-based company that uses an environmentally-friendly process to convert human remains into soil. With its first facility planned to open in 2020, Katrina tells us about building death-friendly cities, connecting with nature and how recomposition actually works.