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A London funeral director has spoken about a worrying trend in families struggling to afford funerals for their loved ones.
Paul and Sharon McLean, who run Integrity Funeral Care, based in Hackney, say many families are delaying organising ceremonies for their loved ones as they search for the funds.
The couple said they have seen a large increase in families asking for their advice on applying for a Funeral Expenses Payment, a Government support payment for people on certain benefits.
Last year, they had six families enquire about the payment but this year they have had three requests already just this month.
Mr McLean said: “Sometimes families don’t approach a funeral director because they just don’t know how they’re going to pay.
“It’s like trying to instruct a builder to build an extension knowing that you haven’t got the funds, so you just put that call off until the funds are in place.
“We try to encourage families to make the call regardless of your financial situation.”
The family firm said they are also seeing a steep rise in people asking to pay in instalments – something they are happy accommodate where possible.
The group specialises in funerals for the African Caribbean community, with families often requesting a burial, which can cost thousands of pounds.
Mr McLean mentioned one case where a family had to pay over £12,000 for burial costs alone in a council-run cemetery.
They wanted to bury their uncle in a cemetery where other family members were laid to rest, but which is outside the borough of London where he lived.
As a result, the family had to pay three times the amount a resident would pay to be buried in that cemetery.
Mr McLean said it’s particularly important for loved ones to act quickly if they want an open casket as part of the funeral as otherwise this may not be feasible.
He explained: “The longer somebody stays in a hospital mortuary, the longer they remain unembalmed, un-looked after by a professional.
“They will just be kept in refrigeration. If that length of time exceeds normally about a month, the mortuary may put the deceased into what we call ‘deep freeze’.
“When we then receive this loved one, they’re frozen effectively, and the process of getting them from a frozen state to a position where they can be viewed and looked after by us, is difficult. It’s one we’d rather avoid.”
He said there is a trend where older people with adult children have set aside funds for their funeral care while younger people have not prepared financially for their send-off.
He said he believes there should be more education even in schools about the importance of setting aside funds for one’s death.
A recent report found Britons pay on average £9,658 for a basic funeral along professional fees and other send-off costs.
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