Where can I get help to arrange a funeral?

Organising a funeral can seem overwhelming, especially when dealing with grief. For many choosing an experienced and professional funeral director will help ease the burden and stress of arranging a funeral and will help you create the most fitting tribute for the person who has passed away. Most people will choose to arrange the funeral through a funeral director but you do have the option to arrange everything yourself as well.

The first decision to make is whether the deceased is to be buried or cremated. This will determine what paperwork will need to be completed.

Funerals can take many different forms. They can be religious or non-religious, traditional or non-traditional, formal or informal.

You should arrange whatever suits you best. Most people use a Funeral Director.

They have a lot of experience organising funerals and are able to suggest ideas for you to consider and inform you if your wishes are possible and how to go about planning the type of funeral you would like for your loved one.

You can find the names of local funeral directors either by searching on line or by looking in the telephone directory.

Many Funeral Directors are members of the National Association of Funeral Directors or the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors

Contact Details

The National Association of Funeral Directors

Tel: 0845 230 1343 (local rate) or 0121 711 1343

Visit: www.nafd.org.uk

The Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors

Tel: 0845 230 6777 (local rate) or 01279 726 777

Visit: www.saif.org.uk

Your selected Funeral Director should give you a written quotation for their costs and may require you to pay a deposit.

Charges differ between Funeral Directors and therefore it is advisable for you to get more than one quote so you are able to compare the prices.

A Partnership Funeral Service is available to anyone who has to arrange the funeral for a deceased resident of the St Helens Borough, who is going to be buried at St Helens or Newton Cemeteries or cremated at St Helens Crematorium.

It offers a cremation or burial at a reasonable cost and is undertaken by experienced funeral directors and includes: .

• Collection of the deceased within the Borough's boundaries
• Provision of the Chapel of Rest
• All arrangements for a dignified funeral at the Crematorium or Cemetery
• Suitable coffin with appropriate fittings. Motor-hearse and one following limousine
• Crematorium/Cemetery charges at St Helens Crematorium or St Helens/Newton-le-Willows Cemeteries
• Medical Referee fee  
• Clergy/Officiate and all medical fees

You can read more about the partnership funeral services in our  Partnership Funeral leaflet (PDF) [759KB] (opens new window) , contact the Bereavement Services Team on 01744 675490 or come into their office based at St Helens Crematorium.

Funerals can be expensive and whilst we all want to do the best for our loved ones, we also have to be mindful of how much it will cost and what we can afford.

You should make sure you know exactly how much it will cost, you need to take into account:

• Flowers
• Transport to take family members to the funeral 
• Death notices for the local paper (obituaries)
• Cost of the cremation or burial
• Fees for a church service prior to burial or cremation
• Funeral Directors fees

Something to consider is whether your Funeral Director has signed up to the 'Fair Funerals' pledge which asks them to:

• Recognise funerals can be expensive and many people struggle with the cost.
• Make their most affordable funeral package visible to the public, including third party costs.
• Charge clear prices for goods and services so people know what they're buying. Communicate prices in initial conversations and prominently display full price lists.

Visit: www.fairfuneralscampaign.org.uk for more information and to find participating funeral directors