The cost of dying continues to soar each year, with the average cost hitting a record £4,184 this year, according to latest estimates.
Traditional funerals are dying a death with families turning to cheaper, low-frills send-offs instead, experts have revealed.
The cost of dying continues to soar each year, with the average cost hitting a record £4,184 this year according to insurance giant SunLife.
However, leading funeral firm Low Cost Funeral has revealed how families in the UK are increasingly turning to more affordable and stripped-back send-offs instead.
The firm has seen direct cremations rise in popularity by 540 per cent in four years, while celebration of life ceremonies have spiked upwards of 1,100 per cent in the same period.
Howard Hodgson, chief executive of Low Cost Funeral, believes traditional Victorian funerals are on their way out as cost and choice become greater factors.
He said: “Until now, funerals have changed little in the last 150 years and have remained an occasion dominated by convention and religion – very much products of the Victorian age.
“However, the relevance of this is now being mulled over by families who want to celebrate a loved one’s life in a personal fashion while also questioning the cost of a traditional funeral. We are continually reading how expensive funerals are – but they don’t have to be.
“That’s because you really don’t have to have a traditional funeral with a hearse and limousines if you don’t wish to. People want diversity of choice today when it comes to selecting the right funeral for a loved one.
“Arranging a funeral for a loved one can carry tremendous pressure to get it just right, but there is more choice than ever to find the perfect send-off down to the smallest of details.”
Direct cremations, meanwhile, are soaring in popularity in the UK, with Low Cost Funeral seeing a 560 per cent rise over the past four years.
A direct cremation is a simple option where the deceased is cremated without a funeral service or ceremony.
Music icons John Lennon and David Bowie and fashion designer Karl Lagerfield are among the household names who chose this option instead of a more traditional funeral.
Attitudes towards direct cremations have changed, with this low-key type of send-off making up 14 per cent of all funerals in the UK last year – compared to just three per cent in 2019.
Low Cost Funeral is the UK’s largest provider of celebration of life funerals and direct cremations, as well as a wide range of pre-arranged funeral plans. It is part of the Memoria Group which also owns and manages 11 crematoria and memorial parks in locations throughout England and Wales.
