Organising a funeral

If the death occurs at Home or in a Nursing or Care Home

When the death occurs at home or at a nursing or care home, a staff member or yourself should contact the GP, who will then visit the deceased and issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. The GP will then inform the next-of-kin of the next steps required. At this point, please contact us and we will collect your loved one and take them to your chosen chapel of rest. 

If the Nursing or Care Home staff are to liaise with us directly, please ensure that they are made aware of which chapel of rest you would like the deceased to be taken to, and whether there will be a cremation or burial. 

The GP will issue a formal notice that informs you of the procedures to follow when registering a death. 

If the death occurs in a Hospital

If a death is expected and occurs at a hospital, a staff member, quite often from the bereavement team, will contact the next-of-kin. They will arrange for you to collect any personal effects and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, together with the hospital’s own release form, if they issue one. 

The hospital will care for the deceased until you have made arrangements with us to bring them into our care at your chosen chapel of rest. 

The hospital staff will also inform you of the procedure for registering the death. 

When the death is unexpected

If a death occurs suddenly or the deceased has not visited their doctor in the last fourteen days, the death will need to be reported to a Coroner, who may call for a post-mortem or an inquest. If the death occurs within a hospital or nursing home, they will report the death and advise you of the next steps. 

If there is an unexpected death which does not occur within a hospital or nursing home, dial 999 and request an ambulance and police immediately, explaining the circumstances. They will arrange for the deceased to be taken to a mortuary where the Coroner is informed, and you will be contacted to advise you of the next steps to take and also when we will be able to bring the deceased into our care.

Usually, the Coroner’s work can take several days to complete. The Coroner will keep the next-of-kin informed at each stage of the process and will advise when you will be able to register the death and arrange the funeral. 

All deaths must be registered at the Registry Office within the district where the death occurred and within five working days of the death. 

You should contact the Registry Office to make an appointment and we would advise you to do this as soon as possible. When you attend, please ensure that you take the ‘Medical Cause of Death Certificate’. 

If the death has been referred to the Coroner, the bereavement officer will advise you how and when to register the death. 

The Registry Office will need to know the following about the deceased:

• Full name
• Date and place of birth (you’ll need an original birth certificate if possible)
• Last known address
• Age
• Last occupation
• Whether they received a state pension or any other benefits
• Marital status (Bring Marriage Certificate where applicable)
• The age of the surviving Widow/ Widower

The Registry Office will need to know the following about the person registering the death:

• Full name
• Address
• Relationship to the deceased

Please ensure you bring proof of your name and address.

What The Registrar Will Give You:

• A Death Certificate - there is a cost for a death certificate and this will vary depending on which borough the death occurred in. You also have the opportunity to buy additional copies.
• A Green Certificate: This gives authorisation for a burial or cremation to take place. This form is not issued if there has been a coroner's post mortem or if the deceased is being repatriated. If one has been issued, please bring the Green Certificate to us as soon as possible.
• A Certificate of Registration of Death. This is for Social Security purposes.

If you choose a cremation, you can either have a service at the Crematorium or another location such as a place of worship, followed by a shorter service (‘The Committal’) at the Crematorium.

At most Crematoria, you will have around half an hour in the chapel for the service and you can normally include four pieces of music in this amount of time. If you require additional time, the service can be extended for an additional fee which is determined by the Crematorium. If you would like an extended service, please inform us when arranging the funeral to ensure that your wishes are accommodated.

There are many options regarding the cremated remains after the service. They may be kept by the family, scattered, buried or collected by us and brought into our care for us to keep until you have decided what to do with them. We will discuss this with you when arranging the funeral.

As we have served the multi-cultural society of London for over 135 years, W. Uden & Sons are fully aware of the range of faiths that our diverse community follows, and also the requirements of those who are non-religious. 

We cater for all faiths and all variations of non-religious funerals and ceremonies. We strive to do all we can to fulfil the family's wishes, including carrying out all the traditions of the deceased's specific faith. If you wish to discuss any aspect of your requirements or need any advice, please feel free to contact us. You can rely on our experience to ensure that your loved-one gets the final send-off that they deserve. 

When arranging the funeral, we will support you and carefully cover all aspects of the day, to ensure that you have a full understanding of the range of services we offer. 

Here are a few things that you can think about before you come to your appointment to make the arrangements easier for you; 

You can actually arrange a funeral before registering the death. You will need to register the death as soon as you can, as we will need the paperwork from the registrar for the funeral to go ahead. 

• Please note though there are occasions when you will not receive this paperwork; if this is the case, the Hospital staff and ourselves will be able to guide you through what to do. 
• You will need to decide whether you would like a cremation or a burial for the deceased. If you do not know, please visit our cremation or burial section for some advice.
• If you would like the deceased to be dressed in their own clothes, then please bring them in when arranging the funeral. If this is not possible, please let us have them as soon as possible after the arrangements. 
• If there are any specific dates and times that you would like to arrange the funeral for, we will do the best we can to accommodate this. However, we would recommend that you think about a range of dates, as the crematorium, cemeteries or place of worship may not be available on your first choice of date. 
• If you wish, please look at our coffins section to see our range of coffins and caskets
• If you require limousines for family or friends to follow the hearse on the day of the funeral. The limousines will follow the hearse from the chosen address to the place of worship, crematorium or cemetery and back to a chosen address. Each of our limousines can accommodate up to 6 passengers. 

If you need any advice on any of these areas or questions regarding any of our funeral services, please contact us. 

At W. Uden & Sons, we believe that the best service we can offer is to not only listen to your wishes, but also professionally guide you through everything you need to know. When arranging a funeral, we will discuss all the relevant details with you and explain all aspects of the day. Below is a brief guide for you to better understand and prepare for the process and requirements of arranging a funeral; 

Cremation

If you have already registered the death, please bring the green certificate issued to you by the registrar. You can still make arrangements with us if you have not yet registered but we ask that you provide this to us as soon as possible, where required. 

We will obtain any relevant paperwork and certification from medical practitioners in order for the cremation to proceed. In most instances, it is a legal requirement for one doctor to sign medical paperwork, which we can discuss with you in greater detail at the time. If the death is referred to a Coroner, different paperwork is required, but we can liaise with the relevant Coroner on your behalf and explain the process to you at the time of arrangement. You may want to consider options for the cremated remains in advance of the arrangement, such as collection after the cremation occurs, scattering or various urns and keepsakes for the ashes to be safely stored. 

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Burial

If you have already registered the death, please bring the green certificate issued to you by the registrar. You can still make arrangements with us if you have not yet registered but we ask that you provide this to us as soon as possible, where required. 

We will need to know if the burial will take place in a new or a pre-existing grave. If you are purchasing a new grave for your loved one we may need proof of residency from the relevant council for the intended owner of the grave and for your loved one. Each cemetery has their own rules and regulations so this will vary accordingly. If you are reopening an existing grave, we may need the official deeds to the grave. We can explain these matters in further detail when you see us in person. 

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Whether you wish to arrange a cremation or a burial, we will require information about the deceased including their name, date of birth, date of death, address and any religious beliefs. When we arrange a funeral with you, we will discuss a number of important aspects of the funeral, including whether you are going to have a cremation or a burial, location of the funeral (e.g. place of worship, cemetery or crematorium), date and timing of the funeral, casket or coffin requirements, limousines and after-care. We will also cover all administrative tasks, including cost and payment schedule for the funeral, paperwork requirements and what you are required to arrange externally e.g. music, flowers and printing of orders of service. 

Once your loved one is in our care, we will dress them in your chosen clothing or in a tasteful funeral gown. Please bring in any personal clothing as soon as possible and notify us of any special instructions. 

It is a very personal decision whether you wish to visit the deceased. If you are unsure, we will always be happy to talk this through with you. If you wish to bring clothing in for the deceased to be dressed, please feel free to do so. If not, we will provide a tasteful funeral gown. Families who, for personal or religious reasons, wish to prepare the body are fully welcome to use all of our facilities. 

Please contact the office to arrange a convenient date and time for you to come in and visit your loved one.  You will be met by our office manager who will show you through into our peaceful chapel of rest.

Here are a few things that you need do after the funeral arrangements have been made, and how to order them to be completely ready for the day of the funeral:- 

The Service

We can arrange someone appropriate to officiate at the service for you, or you may already have a personal preference. If we arrange this, the officiant will be in contact with you and will arrange a time and date to come round and discuss everything in your home or at our offices. They’ll chat with you to gain an insight into your loved-one’s character, a full understanding of your requirements and they will also go through a number of other things, such as music choices and the order of service. If you have any questions about the service, please ask them and they will be able to help you out. They will either prepare or collate all the wording for the service and will be there to support you, your family and loved ones on the day. 

Music

There are a whole range of musical choices for a funeral. The person taking the service can guide you through suitable music choices if you are unsure. 

It is normal to have up to four pieces of music at the crematorium or cemetery, including entrance and exit music, so please liaise with us about your music choices, as we will arrange your requirements with the crematorium or cemetery. All we need are the titles of the tracks and the artist’s name. If we have any problems acquiring any of the tracks, we will discuss these with you and make alternative arrangements for the day. 

Most crematoria will also provide an organist. Please let us know if you would like an organist and the songs you would like them to play, as we would need to arrange this. Some cemeteries will also require CDs but we will advise you if that is the case. 

If you are holding a service or mass before we attend the crematorium or cemetery, you will need to arrange the music directly with the chosen place of worship and we will liaise with them regarding whether they can provide an organist if one is required. If an organist is required and the venue does not have a resident organist, we will organise one. If you need help with music at the place of worship, please contact us and we will be able to arrange a way of playing your music. 

We can also recommend a funeral singer, namely Jay Britton. We have used and recommended Jay Britton’s services for many years and have always been impressed by her performance, her attitude and her attention to detail. We use her extensively in connection with funerals but she also performs regularly at both of our Christmas concerts. Further details can be found here www.jaybrittonfuneralsinger.com

Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Orders of Service

Depending on which office you have arranged the funeral with, we can recommend a printing service nearby. They are all reasonably priced and have very high standards. Once you receive the order of service, you can either drop them off to us or bring them with you on the day. 

Please find below the graphic design companies that we recommend: - 

Flowers

Flowers are a very traditional expression of sympathy. We are more than happy to receive floral tributes at our branches on the day of the funeral in order to dress the coffin and hearse. We will also take care of any flowers which are at the home address, place of worship, crematorium or cemetery. 

Donations

Should you wish to encourage donations to a chosen charity in memory of your loved one, cheques payable to that charity can be sent to our office. We will collate all monies received and forward them to you with a list of donors and the total amount raised. You can then put them with any donations you may have already received and send them to your chosen charity. 

Carrying the coffin 

Please consider if you or your family and friends would like to carry the coffin on the day of the funeral. If this is something that you would like to do, the conductor will run through what’s required of the pallbearers just before the service. You can also visit the video section in our gallery page where you will be able to see us demonstrating this process. You must either have four or six people to carry the coffin and please be aware that we cannot mix our staff with family pallbearers. We can also advise appropriate ways for people to be involved at this stage if they cannot carry the coffin. 

Prior to the service, you will receive a phone call from the funeral conductor, who will be the person looking after you on the day. The call will just be for them to introduce themselves and to carefully check all the details that you have arranged with us, and also to answer any questions you may have about the day. 

Depending on your arrangements, we will aim to arrive at your chosen address in our vehicles with any floral tributes dressed and displayed on the hearse and coffin. We will also arrange any additional flowers that may have been delivered to the home address. 

We will usually reach each destination around ten to fifteen minutes early so that we have sufficient time to ensure that the place of worship, cemetery or crematorium is suitably prepared with music and orders of service. If you have chosen to carry the coffin, we will ensure our staff are on hand to guide you. During most services, we aim to be as discreet as possible and provide you and your family with privacy for the duration of your service. If you have chosen a burial, our team will be respectfully present at the graveside to lower the coffin, unless other arrangements have been made for the family to commit the coffin. 

After the service, we will arrange the floral tributes in a suitable space, collect any cards from the tributes and, when possible, we will make posies for the ladies in the immediate family. If you have requested limousines, we will take you to your chosen return address where our staff will then leave you. 

As always, we are available to help you if you wish to discuss any details with us. 

After a cremation, depending on what you have chosen to do, we will normally collect the ashes for you and bring them back to the branch where you made your arrangements. We can take care of them for you until you are ready to collect, including transferring ashes into a chosen urn or keepsake if you have ordered or supplied one. The crematorium will supply the ashes to us in a temporary container. We offer a range of urns and keepsakes, and these can be found on the gallery section of our website. Please call the office you have been liaising with to place an order if you wish for us to supply an urn.  If you have chosen to witness the scattering ceremony of your loved-one’s ashes in the garden of remembrance, please ensure that you contact the crematorium to make suitable arrangements. Our staff can assist you with this process if you would like us to. 

If you have chosen not to witness the scattering ceremony, the crematorium will normally scatter the ashes around ten to twelve working days after the funeral date. 

After a burial, the ground will require approximately twelve months to settle before you can have a memorial positioned. However, when you are ready, please contact the relevant office and our staff will assist you with the necessary arrangements for a suitable memorial to be installed. 

Please find below some links that may be of use if you would like ongoing bereavement support and advice. There may be additional peer support services in many areas, information about these can often be found at your place of worship (if you have one) or your doctor’s surgery.