A West Midlands funeral director is seeing a sharp rise in pre-paid funeral requests from its customers.
Jennifer Ashe & Son Funeral Directors, which has five branches across the West Midlands and Staffordshire, has said its team is receiving an influx of enquiries from people who are wanting to plan ahead for their funerals.
Staff are reporting a mixture of reasons behind the raised level of interest. Some are seeing more requests from individuals who have received a life-limiting health diagnosis, while others have simply wanted to take the strain of organising their funeral away from loved ones in the midst of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
It is a trend, that Claire Jones, Personal Funeral Advisor at Jennifer Ashe & Son, says is a positive move. She said: “We have seen a massive uptick in pre-planning funeral requests in the last few months across all of our branches.
“There have been more phone calls, emails and people physically coming through our doors to talk about their own funeral arrangements. We are encouraged to see this pre-emptive thinking from a broad cross section of local people. Death for many remains a huge taboo topic, but ultimately by ignoring it, it leads other family members to having to deal with situations they may not be prepared for and having to make decisions they’re uncertain about.
“Open conversations around the topic of death should be welcomed. We see this raise in interest in pre-planned funerals as a positive shift, and would encourage anyone who is unsure about their own arrangements to come and have a commitment-free chat with us.
“We’re a very approachable team and we’re all able to answer any question, big or small, about planning ahead for your funeral. Our team is especially sensitive to those who have never stepped foot in a funeral director’s office before and do all we can to make our customers feel comfortable, supported and at ease.”
With the average cost of a funeral rising to £4,141 in 2023 – a year-on-year increase of 4.7%*, many are deciding to purchase their funeral at today’s rates to save money for their families in the future.
Claire added: “Of course, the average cost of a funeral continues to rise each year, which is an additional reason for thinking ahead. Ultimately, at Jennifer Ashe & Son we want to offer the highest level of care and attention to every single family that chooses us to care for their loved one after passing at the most affordable cost.
“With enough time and space to plan, any manner of arrangements can be made. For example favourite music, flowers and much more can be put in place with the proper planning – recently we even organised for a Punch and Judy show to take place at a funeral, following a request from the deceased’s daughter, showing how our team ensures every request we receive is accommodated where possible.”
Jennifer Ashe & Son Funeral Directors is an award-winning, family-run funeral directors, established in 2016. They specialise in providing a supportive and caring service for families across the West Midlands and Staffordshire during the difficult times of bereavement.
*Sunlife Cost of Dying Report 2024
