FAQs

Funeral directors are not a legal requirement however they are fully experienced and equipped to care for your person between the time of death and the funeral. The team at Thereafter believe in giving you the autonomy to hold the funeral you want to give.

We are here to give as much or as little support you need. Assistance and advice on the legal paperwork and practicalities can be a welcome relief giving you the space to focus on the funeral itself.

As ceremony led undertakers we understand the funeral is not just paperwork and logistics, we are well versed in meaningful, personal funerals and we are here to support you throughout. On the day, it can be helpful to have an outside eye to silently steer the day so you can be confident the day will run just as you have planned.

The funeral serves a number of purposes,
i) The need to deal with our physical dead
ii) The funeral provides time and space to honour and commemorate a life. A funeral gives you the space to grieve, to come together with friends and family providing each other with strength and comfort. At Thereafter we believe a ‘good’ funeral provides a healthy step in the process of grief as you begin to adjust to living with loss.
iii) Grief caused by a death is a raw and confusing emotional space. On a very practical level, the process of arranging a funeral can be helpful in giving you structure and purpose when you’re emotionally overloaded.

There are no rules the funeral should take

The funeral can take a number of forms. It does not have to take place in a cemetery or crematorium, you do have choices. A Private Goodbye provides a simple, cost effective solution.
If you prefer to give yourself time, explore your options to see if a Last Supper or Memorial Gathering is more fitting for you.

If you wish to discuss your options please contact one of our team who will talk and guide you through to find the best solution for you.

The very first step, the death will need to be verified by a medical professional.
If the death occurs at home, you will need to call the GP who will come to the home.
If the death was expected, occurs out of surgery opening hours, call 111. The paramedics are qualified to confirm the death.

Once the death is verified you can inform your funeral director who will arrange to bring the person into their care.

When someone dies it can feel overwhelming, but please do not feel rushed into making decisions. If they are at home, take your time, it is precious.

Once the death is verified the medical examiner will confirm the death with the register office. You will be informed to proceed to register the death. It is only once the death has been formally registered that plans for the funeral can begin.

For full details of the funeral arranging process, you can do so here

If a death is unexpected

Call 999. The police and the paramedics will confirm the death
If is unexpected it may be referred to the coroner. We are here to support and guide you through this.
Whatever stage you are at in planning or arranging a funeral, the team at Thereafter are here to support, advise and guide you through.

Unless for religious reasons there is no fixed time frame for when the funeral must be held. It is important to take the time you need to be able to give the funeral you want to give.

Please note, whilst we advocate giving yourself time, it is not advisable to leave it too long leaving yourself in the emotional limbo of immediate grief and the day of the funeral.

Some practical notes on process

• Following a death you will need to register it with the Registrar in the town of which the death occurred
• At the time of registration you will need to confirm if the funeral will be burial or cremation
  The registrar will issue the death certificate and what is referred to as the Green Form
• The funeral director will need a copy of this (electronic or paper) It is only on receipt of the Green that funeral plans can formally begin