QSA’s Down to Earth service has supported over 7000 clients across the UK since the project was started in 2010.
The helpline has experienced a sustained increase in demand seeing client numbers rise by 58% last quarter compared to the same quarter last year. We are delighted to have the support of new volunteers who are trained to support our team of caseworkers by making first contact with people who call our helpline.
Most of our callers have experienced a recent bereavement and are making funeral arrangements for the first time. They may be unfamiliar with funerals, their only point of reference being the media and funeral director’s advertising, often showing costly options such as horse hearses and doves. The support from our team includes guidance to keep the costs down, for example by comparing prices between funeral directors, as well as considering options to raise the money required. Our team have developed online guides related to reducing funeral costs and raising money towards them, and for those who need extra help, our helpline team are glad to provide one-to-one support.
When someone has taken the time to record their funeral wishes before their death, it can make decisions easier for those making the arrangements. Down to Earth’s Funeral Wishes Guided Plan (PDF document) is meant to aid advance conversations and ensure everything is thoughtfully considered.
As well as the funeral wishes, Down to Earth have considered the options for paying for them, and have included a section on work history to support in circumstances where applications to occupational benevolent funds and charities are needed. There’s even space for other thoughts, and some people choose to use this to acknowledge the high cost of funerals and ask that the person making the arrangements doesn’t get into financial difficulty to fulfil their wishes.
Our vision for this guided plan is that the comparatively simple task of writing down wishes will ease the burdens of those bereaved in the future and enable them to make funeral arrangements that are meaningful in ways that would otherwise not be possible.
All our guides, including the Funeral Wishes Guided Plan, are available on our website. DownToEarthSupport.org.uk