• Planning in advance with Age Concern Funeral Plans will ensure that final wishes are made known
In case anyone had any doubt that we are a nation of pet lovers, new research by Age Concern Funeral Plans reveals that the most common special request made by Brits when planning their funeral is to be cremated with the ashes of their beloved pet. ¹
Research into the special requests made by Age Concern Funeral Plans customers show that the second most common special request is to be buried with a mobile phone in the coffin.
The thought of accidentally being mistaken as having passed away is a big concern, as many request to have a mirror held over their face to check for signs of breathing. Other special requests include being cremated naked, being buried in their own garden or buried with all of their cash savings.
Sharon Dobson, Age Concern Funeral Plans Manager said, “Planning in advance ensures that any special requests people have, however unusual, can be respected, whereas families and friends are unlikely to know what their loved ones would want.
“Pre-planning a funeral relieves the organisational stress from family and loved ones when the time comes, and helps avoid unnecessary financial burden during a particularly difficult time,” she added.
Age Concern Funeral Plans recognises that while pre-planning your funeral may not be something people think about everyday, it does make good financial sense. With the latest figures showing the average cremation funeral costing £2,217² and this figure predicted to rise to £3,350³ by 2012, it is important to plan ahead.
The Age Concern Funeral Plan is designed to appeal to all with no age restrictions, no medicals required and guaranteed acceptance. There are three Funeral Plan packages available offering a choice of arrangements and individual requests. Even personal choices such as selecting hymns for the service, preferred flowers, and the route for the cortege can be arranged. The Age Concern Funeral Plan service ensures that personal requests and customer records remain confidential, safe and secure until required.
Age Concern’s Funeral Plan provides flexible plans and payment methods to suit different requirements and is provided in collaboration with Dignity Caring Funeral Services. Since Age Concern launched Funeral Plans a decade ago, it has sold over 130,000 plans. To find out more about Age Concern Funeral Plans, call 0800 731 0651 or visit your local Age Concern.
-ENDS-
For further information please contact Derya Filiz, Elly Kestenbaum, George Morrison or Jess Baker at Trimedia Harrison Cowley on 020 7025 7500
Notes to editors:
* Requests to be buried with ones pet’s ashes are adhered to if the pet is already deceased. Age Concern Funeral Plans does not organise the cremation of animals nor does it cremate animals following a special request made by the customer
¹ Funeral Plan Special Requests, Age Concern, August 2007. Research into the special requests of over 100,000 Age Concern Funeral Plans customers was carried out in-house. Further details and percentages of the top most common requests cannot be provided due to client confidentiality agreements.
Top 8 most common requests
1 To be cremated with their pet’s ashes
2 To have a mobile phone in the coffin
3 To ensure they are dead
4 For a mirror to be held over the face to check for signs of breathing
5 To be cremated naked, as they came into the world
6 To be buried in their own garden
7 To be buried with their teeth in
8 To be buried with all their savings
² Mintel Survey of Average Funeral Pricing, 2006
³ Dignity Caring Funeral Services
ABOUT AGE CONCERN:
Age Concern is the leading charity in the UK concerned with ageing and older people, and works to improve the quality of life for all older people. Nationally, it is involved in campaigning, policy guidance, research and information, and through its trading arm, Age Concern Enterprises (ACEnt), offers a range of products and services specifically designed for older people. Visit our site: www.ageconcern.org.uk/
ACEnt incorporates:
AGE CONCERN & WHY IT TRADES:
At a local level, Age Concern offers a range of services for older people, such as day centres, luncheon clubs, and advice and information services.
At a national level, Age Concern campaigns with and for older people: developing policy; influencing Government; training care professionals;
To fund this work, Age Concern needs a constant flow of independent income. It seeks to achieve this through a balance of traditional fund raising and trading activities.
Age Concern’s trading activities enable it to meet the needs of older people, through products specifically designed for them; quality products at fair prices such as General Insurance.
ABOUT DIGNITY CARING FUNERAL SERVICES
Dignity plc is Britain’s largest single provider of funeral related services and is the market leader in the provision of pre-arranged funeral plans. Dignity has a network of over 500 funeral homes throughout Britain. For more information visit www.dignityfunerals.co.uk
http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/
