Financial Times Consumer Editor, Claer Barrett, comments on findings from Theos report ‘Love, Grief and Hope’ 02/12/2023

Should we mourn the slow death of the traditional funeral?

The soaring cost of ceremonies and an increasingly secular society mean that fewer than half of Britons now want a funeral, according to a study this week. This raises the question, what do they want instead? The answer — which anyone who watches daytime television will surely know — is a direct cremation.

Also known as a “takeaway funeral”, the rise of a cheap, no–frills cremation with no relatives in attendance started under lockdown, but has remained enduringly popular, now accounting for nearly one in five UK deaths. Costs are kept low by using out–of–the–way crematoria, often very early in the morning before traditional ceremonies with mourners and wreaths begin.

Read the full article here.

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