The Elms Funeral Directors, let our family help your family at this difficult time.
The time following a loved ones death can be very difficult. To help ease the burden, we are available 24 hours a day to help and advise on all aspects of arranging the funeral service.
What to do following the death of a loved one.
- If the death occurred at home – Contact your doctor who will certify that death has taken place, and will in due course issue a Medical Cause of Death Certificate.
- If the death occurred at a Nursing/Residential Home – The Home will normally arrange for a Doctor to certify the death and issue a Cause of Death Certificate.
- If the death occurred in Hospital – The Nursing Staff will advise you where you can collect the Cause of Death Certificate (Usually from the Bereavement office).
When you first contact us.
On initial contact, we will arrange to bring your loved one into our care. We will ask a few preliminary details and help you with what you will need to do next. We will explain over the phone the process of registering the death, and what you will need to bring with you to do so.
Once you have made your appointment at the Registrar’s Office, we can then arrange to see you shortly afterwards in order to begin the funeral arrangements. We would then invite you to our offices at a time convenient for you and your family, to discuss the arrangements and plans for the funeral. Funeral arrangements tend not to last any longer than an hour, however there is no time restrictions on how long they take. You will receive our undivided attention throughout the whole funeral process.
If required we can make arrangements for you to meet with a clergyman of an appropriate denomination to discuss the format and details of the actual funeral ceremony.
Whilst arranging the funeral with you, we will advise on the costs and charges to be incurred and when the details have been finalised, a written estimate will be submitted for your consideration.
The Chapel of Rest.
It is important for the bereaved to decide whether they wish to visit their loved one in our Chapel of Rest situated on our premises. We will be pleased to discuss with you how you would prefer the deceased to be dressed and presented.
The Chapel of Rest is available to you during the day Monday to Friday, but we do ask you, however, to make appointments to ensure that you will have our complete attention and that a member of our family is available for you.
The Chapel is private and you will be able to spend all the time you need with no pressure from us. While the Chapel is small and personal, there is no limit on the numbers who may attend or indeed on the frequency of the visits. If you are unsure about visiting the deceased at our Chapel of Rest, a member of our family will be happy to talk this over with you in a sympathetic way – but always the final decision will be yours. Unlike any other funeral directors, we will never charge for the use of our chapel.
Estimating the cost of a funeral
All costs associated with a funeral are clearly shown on our simple to use funeral cost calculator. There are no hidden charges and any costs to be paid to third parties such as Crematorium, Minister/ Celebrant and Doctor’s fees are all advised in our written estimate.
To see our current charges click here