Grow Trees Not Graves – Is this the future?
Organic Burial Pods will turn loved ones into trees not graves. This is currently a very unconventional way of being buried but could this be a reality? The idea of coming full circle and returning whence we came from is one that appeals to many. In Brighton & Hove there is a shortage of space for burials and this could be the answer? Would you like to be buried in such a way knowing you are giving life to a tree? We would love to know your thoughts.
The rise of celebrations of life and personalised funerals
Have you heard of a “celebration of life”, or perhaps you have already attended one of these ceremonies? These days, more and more people are looking for their funeral to be a celebration of life – with a ceremony that’s upbeat rather than sombre in tone. At this type of occasion, you may be asked to wear a certain colour or watch video clips chosen by the family, which is quite different to a traditional funeral. So why has there been a shift towards this type of ceremony?
Increasingly, people are more open to the idea of personalising their ceremony, with 71% of individuals surveyed by ComRes saying that they think their end of life wishes would be met if we were more comfortable with discussing funeral arrangements. As the average cost of a funeral continues to rise, planning ahead has never been more important. Although many of us are still reluctant to talk about funerals, it does appear that we understand why it’s necessary and isn’t as daunting as we may think.
By personalising your funeral, your friends and family are able to remember you for who you were. One way of doing this is by asking a close friend or family member to deliver your eulogy. The eulogy doesn’t need to be very long, nor does it have to be serious – many eulogies even include a few funny anecdotes that will raise a laugh or two! Some people say that a celebration of life actually helps with the grieving process, as we often don’t have a chance to reflect on the happy times shared and instead, tend to focus only on the immediate loss and sadness.
The BBC recently reported on celebrations of life, referencing Lynda Bellingham’s “all-singing, all-dancing knees-up” funeral and Joan Rivers, who chose to open her funeral with a series of Broadway songs. These are certainly bold choices, but a real reflection of their outgoing personalities. You might not want such a lively and adventurous ceremony, but opting for a less formal arrangement gives you more control over personalisation and allows you to specify your wishes in advance.
As more people become open and comfortable with planning their funeral in advance and talking about the subject with friends and family, we’ll likely see many more personalised ceremonies in the future.
To ensure you have full control of your funeral, it’s a good idea to have a funeral plan in place to ensure your wishes are respectfully carried out. We offer a funeral plan to suit every budget, so you can relieve the financial and emotional strain on your family and put their worries at ease.
Bungard Funeral Directors Video at the Brighton Register Office
Bungard Funeral Directors has created their first online video to be shown at Brighton Town Hall Register Office where member of the public can register with the local Registrar any births, deaths or marriages that have taken place . Brighton Register Office provide support for Brighton & Hove and surrounding areas. They have four TV screens promoting local services as well as providing useful advice for anyone attending their office split over two different waiting rooms.
Registering a Death
The death must be registered at the Register Office in the district where it occurred. If it happened in Brighton or Hove you should attend Brighton & Hove Register Office. Please book a death registration appointment online or call (01273) 292016 to make an appointment.
2016 Expectations
The funeral industry is changing rapidly each year. The last five years has seen a massive increase in pre-paid funeral plans and planning ahead is something that we try to promote along with charities such as “Dying Matters”.
In the UK there are about 5,500 funeral outlets. In the past few years there has been a significant expansion, mostly by acquisition, by the three largest funeral entities: Co-op, Dignity and Funeral Partners which has put pressure on the smaller, local independents which conduct 62% of all UK funerals. This has created more local choice for the consumer but there remains a significant variation in funeral director costs of up to 35% in some cases and in our opinion a lack of transparency. It would always be our advice to get a full indication of the cost for a funeral.
We expect 2016 to bring an increasing promotion of funeral plans through mass marketing campaigns led by online and telephone agents rather than funeral directors. We remain convinced that funeral plans are an excellent product when sold with the correct advice and the appropriate payment method: be very aware that not all plans are the same and Bungard Funeral Directors continue to only recommend Golden Charter products and most certainly would warn against engaging with non-FPA regulated companies.
Alarmingly, funeral directors are not regulated in the UK and it is not compulsory to be a member of a trade body. We continue to be a member of one of the two main associations –SAIF which provide a self-regulatory framework and greater protection for the public should things go wrong. During 2016, the Scottish government is looking into the licensing of funeral businesses and we wait to learn of the outcome.
In Scotland, from May 2015, there was no longer a payment made to Doctors for cremation papers (a saving to the family of £170 per cremation) and we expect this system to be launched in the rest of the UK in the coming years – but certainly not in 2016! This change brings an improved level of accuracy as the certification is done by doctors electronically.
Bungard Funeral Directors 2016: We like to think of ourselves as being rather more dynamic than the average funeral service and strive to offer alternative options and opportunities to our families where appropriate. For example, many of our clients use digital technology and utilize social media to share information about funeral services. To compliment this we have a Bungard Funeral iPhone app and the ability to share funeral arrangements via facebook for each funeral that has a tribute page on our website.
Training 2016: We do a lot of training but initially we will focus on our new IT system that will drive some of our customer care initiatives. With 2015 seeing the graduation of one member of the team with their Diploma in Funeral Arranging and now starting the Diploma in Funeral Directing we hope to enter a new candidate for the Diploma in Funeral Arranging next year.
Events 2016: We will continue with the growth of our Bungard Aftercare service and promote our coffee morning and luncheons for individuals and families. Combating loneliness and isolation will be our focus. We are also hoping to start offering a service of remembrance in 2016 to which all are welcome.
Charity 2016: The Carer’s Centre has been our Charity of the Year and we have raising money throughout the year by donating £5 each time we receive a completed feedback form from one of our families. The family, including, Richard and Amie Whittle, and James and Ann Whittle will be attending their Charity Ball on Friday 12th February 2016 to help raise funds for a new caravan. We also now provide families with a service to collect donations for a loved one’s chosen charity on our website which means that donors can leave a tribute as well as being an easier way of collecting gift aid from tax paying donors.
Our Team 2016: This year has seen long standing funeral Director Eric de Chalon get married, retire and also move to Brussels to live with his new husband. His departure see’s the arrival of a new Funeral Director, Benjamin Day and also a new administrator, Tony Yates and we welcome them to the team and have been delighted at the enthusiasm and energy they have brought to the company already.
Bungard Funeral Directors in line for a top honour
Bungards Funeral Directors
Bungard Funeral Directors has been selected from hundreds of nominees to go through to the final stages of this year’s glittering Good Funeral Awards ceremony at the University of Winchester on Saturday 5 September 2015.
The awards are in their fourth year and will be hosted by Ian Lavender, familiar to many as Private Pike in the BBC’s Dad’s Army.
Bungard Funeral Directors is now in line to win the prestigious national title of Best Funeral Director of the year.
“The Good Funeral Awards reward exceptional service to the bereaved. By progressing this far, Bungard Funeral Directors has already demonstrated outstanding professionalism, empathy and a willingness to go the extra mile,” said Chief Judge, Charles Cowling.
The Good Funeral Awards are wholly independent of the funeral industry and are supported by consumer advocates the Good Funeral Guide and the Natural Death Centre.
Brian Jenner, the event organiser, said: “The Good Funeral Awards recognise all those unsung heroes who work so hard for the bereaved and whose role can so easily be overlooked. Some of the nicest people in Britain work in the funeral business.”
The Good Funeral Awards dinner is part of the second Ideal Death Show weekend http://www.idealdeathshow.co.uk
Hove & Portslade “At Your Service Awards”
We are looking forward to the Hove and Portslade “At Your Service Awards” this evening. The awards have been organised by ten sixth-form students – who are all studying Business Studies – at Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA). At the awards ceremony on Thursday, 11 winners will be chosen, for the following categories:
- Best Charity
- Best Driving School
- Best Newcomer (Last 12 months)
- Best Pet Service
- Best Place to Eat in Hove and Portslade
- Best Professional Service
- Best Pub
- Best Shop in Hove
- Best Shop in Portslade
- Best Specialty Business
- Business Personality of the Year
Bungard & Sons Limited have chosen the “Carers Centre” to be our “Charity of the Year” for the next 12 months
We are delighted to announce that we will be supporting “The Carers Centre” for the next twelve months. The Carers Centre offers different kinds of services working with and supporting young and adult carers in the city. In working towards their vision they will:
- Provide services for carers to help them cope with their situation, get the support to which they are entitled, and to participate in the community of our city
- Campaign to raise awareness of carers and ensure that carers have a real voice in order to influence local public services, to improve the support they offer to carers and to the people they care for and to promote support for families that reduces the reliance on children as carers
- Identify and reach out to hidden and isolated carers to ensure that they have access to services
- Aim to be a model of good practice in all that we do.
To find out more about them then please go to http://www.thecarerscentre.org
Guest Blog – Inspired Goodbyes have been invited back.
We have invited some friends back to write a second guest blog for the website. Our contributors are Helen Lawson and Sophia Lucop-Leech from Inspired Goodbyes. 
Bereavement cards just got personal In the aftermath of my brother’s death I remember feeling happy every time a bereavement card came through the door. Whether the giver of that card stopped for a cup of tea or whether they didn’t want to intrude, the fact that so many people were thinking of us made me a little bit better. It helped pass the time too, which goes so slowly after such awful news. If those cards had contained a memory or a story about my brother that I didn’t already know, I imagine they might have even brought a smile to our faces at a time when our hearts were broken. The death of a loved one, friend or family member is a horrible experience but it does happen. Why, then, is this major 
life event over-looked on our high streets? I’ve been told it’s because this subject is still taboo, but why? No one wants to have to buy a bereavement card but when we do, we should be faced with a decent choice. Even the big boys of retail often only have a handful to pick between. And they are all a little bit the same. Well, we think it’s high time bereavement cards and gifts had a more prominent position in our shops. This is why we have decided to do something about it. www.inspiredgoodbyes.co.uk recently launched a new range of bereavement cards. Words like ‘With sympathy’ or ‘deepest condolences’ simply don’t mean enough anymore. Our innovative range of bereavement cards are designed to encourage the sender to share a memory from a happier time with words like ‘Let me tell you something about your lovely mum…’, ‘Did I ever tell you about the time…’ and ‘it’s not fair’ because it isn’t fair and sometimes it’s okay to say it. We understand that these cards won’t be for everyone. If you think a more traditional card works for a particular family or friend then that’s okay. We just want to give people choice. My memory of receiving cards at a difficult time is a good one because warm words work wonders when you’re hurting. With the new Inspired Goodbyes range bereavement cards just got personal and there’s not a ‘with sympathy’ in sight.
Guest Blog – Love2Donate : In Memory
We have invited some of our friends and suppliers to write guest blogs for the website. Our next contributor is Sue Stevens from Love2Donate.
We could have named our company ‘Ernie’ as it was a wonderful little boy with this name that inspired us to form our company – Love2Donate.
Ernie is the grandson of one of the Directors.
When he was only a couple of months old, Ernie was diagnosed with Bilateral Retinoblastoma (an aggressive form of cancer) that affects the eyes.
Ernie endured two heavy courses of chemotherapy, over 100 hospital trips, an operation every 3 weeks and although his vision has been severely affected he is currently in remission.
Throughout his ordeal, the support and comfort provided by medical staff and cancer support groups was amazing and they helped Ernie’s family through some very dark and emotional times.
As family birthdays occurred, Mother’s day, Father’s day etc., it was decided that instead of giving and receiving presents, we would rather donate to help those support groups assist other families going through similar nightmares.
Hence, the Love2Donate idea was born – giving the gift of a present which will also help a worthwhile cause.
Through the hard work and dedication of nursing staff, medical teams and the love and kindness received from charity members, Ernie is now a healthy seven year old that runs around just like any other child of his age.
As Ernie continues to thrive, so do we ….
Love2Donate : In Memory is a sister company that was created to enable the bereaved and loved ones to remember those in passing.
Working with Funeral Directors, such as Bungard Funeral Directors, we create a personal Tribute and Donation Page on their website whereby friends and loved ones can donate on line to a charity chosen by the Next of Kin that has meaning and could benefit in memory of their loved one.
The Tribute Page is a place where friends and loved ones can remember their loss, express their sympathy and help support each other at this very difficult and distressing time.
We wanted to be able to create an area where the grieving could spend time writing and reading all the wonderful words in support of the family and a safe and secure on line donation portal to donate in memory.
Another bonus using the Funeral Director’s website to place your on line donation is that Gift Aid can be claimed on behalf of the donor, which is then forwarded to the chosen charity. Gift Aid is a Government scheme that enables registered charities to reclaim tax on a donation made by a UK tax payer. It means that the taxman will add 25p to every pound you give to a charity.
People donating in memory of their loved ones have raised an astonishing £479,403 in the past two years via Love2Donate : In Memory, which has been passed on to charities (this figures increases with the addition of Gift Aid).
It is such a sad and unbearable time for those left when someone dear passes away. We provide an area where the bereaved can remember their loved one and say goodbye in a safe environment.
Being able to donate to a charity can help towards easing a little of the pain knowing that someone, somewhere may be able to benefit from the loss of someone dear.
We are proud of the service we provide to Funeral Directors such as Bungard Funeral Directors, enabling them to expand the services they provide to their clients by offering additional services to the bereaved.
Guest Blog – Inspired Goodbyes
We have invited some of our friends and suppliers to write guest blogs for the website. Our first contributors are Helen Lawson and Sophia Lucop-Leech from Inspired Goodbyes.
The Inspired Goodbyes content.
It has often been said that tragedy can inspire people to do something positive. This is certainly true of Sophia and I when we created ‘Inspired Goodbyes’ after the untimely death of Sophia’s husband in 2013. I have had my own experience with bereavement when my brother died in 2000 in a motorbike accident. After many chats over cups of tea and glasses of wine talking about our experiences we decided to work together to do something positive for others going through their own grief. It’s from here that we set up a company and after much hard work saw our first idea, ‘Your Personal Goodbye’ become a reality. ‘Your Personal Goodbye’ is a simple, beautiful way for you, your family and your friends to write down your private messages to the person you love when they’ve died. You then take it in turns to place your folded up message inside the specially designed sealed tube. Once all the messages are inside you simply seal it with the sticker and hand the tube to your funeral director. They will then ensure that your words go with your loved one by placing the tube along side them.
Helen and Sophia
The idea for this product came about when Sophia and her daughter were writing letters and choosing photographs they wanted to send with her husband, Ava’s daddy. She handed them to the funeral director in a Tesco bag. It didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel dignified. This is why ‘Your Personal Goodbye’ comes in a natural cotton handmade bag. This is for you to either take other personal effects to the funeral director or use it afterwards to keep bereavement cards in to read at a later date. You’ll also find a handmade pin inside ‘Your Personal Goodbye’. We had this beautiful pin of our infinity logo specially designed and crafted by an artist in Manchester to symbolise that your love lives on. You can wear it on the day of the funeral or whenever you feel you want to as a reminder of your love for the person you have lost. We are very proud of our little company and it makes us happy that wonderful family funeral directors, like Bungards, can see the benefit in offering ‘Your Personal Goodbye’ to the families they help. We hope it gives you some comfort and helps you when you have to say your most difficult goodbye.