‘My husband of 60 years chose a different send off and I’ve saved £5k’ | UK | News

A woman has welcomed the benefits of choosing a different send-off option for her husband of nearly 60 years as more Britons make the transition. Monica Hayden, 80, of Merriott, Somerset, lost David Hayden, 86, in April. He had decided that he wanted to be directly cremated; this required cremation of the body without a formal funeral or mourners.

Instead, family and friends held a service at the church and arranged a “beautiful” funeral for £2,000; Meanwhile, they paid tribute to Mr Hayden, who was much loved by many, including those who played on the local youth football team he managed. Miss Hayden, who met her friend during an inter-village skittles match, said: “This was all a service to celebrate the life he had lived his whole life.”

The former babysitter and foster carer added that she chose direct cremation for herself after her husband’s death because she was attracted to the cheaper and more enjoyable process. “It was very cheap,” Ms. Hayden said. “It was a lot cheaper.”

He called the firm with which he had arranged a £6,700 funeral plan and asked for some of the money back and asked for the body to be cremated instead. The request was accepted and the £5,000 was refunded to him. Ms. Hayden knows others who have had and will have direct funerals.

She said: “My friend had lost her husband and she was praising them. And then she said, ‘Since I did this, I think a lot of people have left.’ [direct cremation].

“So did my sister, and so did my friend… She came in and said to the funeral director, ‘I don’t want a funeral right now; I just want a direct cremation.'”

Ms Hayden added: “I don’t see what warrants thousands and thousands of pounds.”

“I lost some good friends too and I sat there looking at a coffin and then the curtains were drawn in the crematorium. It’s just the way it is – I don’t know what the word is to really describe it.”

“But David’s was a happy day.”

“David was such a lovely, kind and gentle person,” Ms Hayden said.

“She helped me with child care for 40 years and we were foster parents.

“He was a wonderful protective father.

“You could tell how much he was loved during the celebration of his life and I received over a hundred cards and they all said what a kind, loving man he was.

“Because he would help everyone and give his last penny.

“We didn’t have much, but we shared what we had.”

Pure Cremation Cost of Funeral Search It found the average burial cost £6,065, £1,833 more than cremation, which averaged £4,232.

The most expensive funeral director in the UK costs £4,485 for his services alone, while the cheapest costs £812.

“When compiling this report it became clear to us that looking at a funeral director’s ‘standardised price list’ will not give you the true cost in most cases,” said Ian Atkinson, marketing director at Pure Cremation.

“Funeral directors will put a price range next to some items, some will put a ‘price on request’ next to some items, and often there will be a list of extras – like ‘additional mileage’ fees that are impossible for families to calculate in advance.

“There is still a lot of uncertainty around what is included, what is not included and what families will actually pay, leaving bereaved families vulnerable to hidden costs at the worst possible time.

“Our report aims to change this by giving families a completely transparent way to compare funeral prices in their area, so they know exactly what they are paying for.”

Grieving families are turning to crowdfunding and loan sharks to cover funeral costs as the cost of the traditional service sees its biggest annual increase since 2016, according to SunLife.

The cost of a traditional funeral rose 5.3% last year to £4,510, according to the company.

A simple attendance funeral, which includes the basic elements of a traditional service but fewer add-ons such as a memorial service and flowers, is currently the most common choice in the UK, costing an average of £3,828.

Combined with a memorial service, catering, venue hire and flowers, the average funeral spend rises to £5,140.

The rising prices were caused by rising cremation and burial fees, higher casket prices, and rising costs of living.

Nearly 15 per cent of families say they are struggling financially to pay for funeral costs, with an average of £2,365 having to find extra money.