Arranging a funeral during a pandemic

Arranging your loved one’s funeral - our latest advice and support

Arranging a funeral for your loved one is a daunting prospect at any time. We continue to be here to support you, and to keep you up to date you on how you can say goodbye to your loved one in these changing times. As you can imagine, some of these new guidelines are difficult, and subject to change following the latest Government advice.

We continue to be here 24 hours a day to support you and your family. Together, we will still give your loved one an appropriate funeral in the current circumstances.

These are the latest things that you need to know and consider. These are in addition to previous advice on mourner numbers and arrangements with celebrants and at the crematorium. Click here to read.

Our funeral homes

We are now operating behind closed doors, to protect everyone involved, and to allow us to continue to support communities. All our funeral homes will display information in their windows on how to contact them. You can also find this on our website. Click here to see our funeral home closest to you and their details.

Masonry and refurbishments.

For now, we have had to close the masonry showroom at Shepshed. We will not be able to provide new headstone or refurbish existing ones until further notice. As soon as we are able to restart these activities we will be in touch to help you with your choices.

Flowers for funerals

Following the latest Government instructions to close non-essential shops, our florist shops are closed for now. If you have any flowers that you would like to go on the coffin (from your own garden, for example) then please bring them directly to the service.

Provision of limousines

We have had to stop the provision of limousines at this time, following the Government advice on social distancing. This is to protect you and your family, as well as the funeral team.

Viewings

We are currently still able to offer you a viewing. The location will be advised, and these will be available during office hours.

Making arrangements

We have introduced a new service to allow you to complete all arrangements over the telephone or email. We’ve developed a document that guides you through each step and decision. This will enable you to discuss with other family members and then return it to your funeral director when you have agreed.

Carrying the coffin

Our funeral directors are being recommended to use a wheeled bier to bring your loved one’s coffin into the service. This is at their discretion but is an effort to apply social distancing recommendations to everyone in attendance.

For those with CEC Funeral Plans

The services we can make available at this time may well not be in line with any funeral plan that had been put in place. Be assured that if arrangements are substantially changed from the plan, then you will receive a refund as appropriate.

These are the latest changes on Tuesday 24th March 2020 and are in addition to the previous changes we had to bring in. You can read those by clicking here.

Your funeral director will have all the latest information that you will need to make the best choice for you and your loved one. These are circumstances that none of us could have imagined, but it continues to be our privilege to support you at this difficult time. We will continue to work with families to give loved ones an appropriate funeral and maintaining safety for mourners.