A funeral director in Kent has released a video showing exactly what happens during a Direct Funeral, a service without family or friends present, to address questions and misconceptions about the process.
T Allen Funeral Service made the video to provide insight into the journey of the deceased, from collection to cremation. James Hunt of T. Allen Funeral Service explained: "We realised that there were lots of questions and, in some cases, quite a few misconceptions about what a Direct Funeral actually involves."
"We wanted to show people honestly what happens because, when you're making funeral arrangements, particularly at a very difficult time, you shouldn't have to guess what is going to happen to the person you love," he added.
Direct Funerals and Recent Mortuary Plans
Many people are choosing Direct Funerals for various reasons, including family and friends living far away or the deceased person "not wanting a fuss." Last week, plans were approved for a mortuary in York that would hold 700 bodies, stacking them five coffins high for three to four days before cremation.
The company behind the York facility said it would serve people who needed their loved one's remains collected "without delay." However, objectors said it was "inappropriate for bodies to be stored on mass at an industrial facility with 700 deceased which entails all forms of risks," while others called it "undignified" for the deceased.
Several funeral directors have since noted that not all Direct Funerals are impersonal, with local services treating the person with the same dignity and respect as those having a traditional service.
Care and Respect in Every Step
Mark Allen, also of T. Allen Funeral Service, said the service includes touches familiar at traditional funerals, including bowing to the person inside the coffin. "The bow isn't something we do because someone is watching. It's something we've always done as a mark of respect, and we do it whether there is a family there or not," he said.
"When we take someone into our care, they are somebody's mum, dad, husband, wife, partner, brother, sister or friend. The fact that there may not be anyone standing there at the crematorium doesn't change that," he added. "We still take the same care with them. We still treat them with dignity. And we still feel that they deserve our respect right through to the point where we hand them into the care of the crematorium."
What a Direct Funeral Involves
The firm explained that a Direct Funeral is a simpler arrangement with no traditional service attended by family and friends at the time of cremation. At T. Allen, the person is brought into their care centre, which includes mortuary facilities, coffin workshops and vehicle workshops, and is not an industrial storage building.
The person is dressed in a gown, and families can provide personal items such as photographs, letters or small keepsakes. The family is told where and when the Direct Funeral will take place, and two team members attend the crematorium, taking the coffin through the front entrance of the chapel, just as for an attended funeral.
The firm noted that a Direct Funeral costs less than a traditional attended funeral, but the difference is in the nature of the funeral and who is present, not in the level of care provided. The most important thing, they said, is that the wishes of the deceased are understood and respected, whether they wanted a traditional funeral or something simpler.
