Coronavirus
Funeral advice
We would like to share some information relating to funeral arrangements and funeral services during this difficult time. You can call any of our funeral homes to speak to us if you need to ask any questions or require any help.
We have carried out comprehensive risk assessments across all our branches and are a Covid secure business. At present, we are keeping our funeral homes open, but we respectfully ask that if you have to attend that you please call us in advance. We can then ensure that you will not be coming into contact with any other families. Much of the following weighs heavily on our hearts at this time. We are used to working with families to create unique funeral services to reflect the life of the deceased, and we understand that these restrictions are incredibly difficult for the families that we serve.
Where possible we are encouraging people to arrange a funeral via email, Zoom, Skype or over the telephone. We can accommodate those who cannot physically attend the funeral arrangement by setting up a conference call which allows people from different households to telephone in to be part of the discussions and decision making. We can email or post any documentation or literature to you.
Families are able to visit their loved ones in our chapels of rest, however, we have strict procedures in place to ensure everyone’s safety. This includes the wearing of masks, only two people being permitted at one time and the checking of temperatures remotely among other precautions. This will be fully explained to you before your visit.
Crematoria are responding individually to government guidelines and updating us accordingly. The number of people permitted to attend is influenced by the ability to adhere to social distancing and it is compulsory to wear face coverings. We will inform you of the rules at the point of arrangement, and will always update you if these change.
It is still important that people attending a funeral should be made up of members who are not in any of the high-risk categories and are not self-isolating.
If you are to have a burial for your loved one, churches are now open to have services in. It’s impossible to say how many people are able to attend as each church is responding individually, largely based on the size and seating availability. You can also still have a graveside service. We can provide a music player, service sheets and most of the service can be held here.
During any funeral service you attend, please remember to stay mindful of social distancing and household mixing rules which we understand is extremely difficult at such an emotional time.
Where possible we are recommending the use of webcasting/live streaming of the funeral service (using professional or personal devices). This enables other mourners to still ‘virtually attend’ without putting themselves and others at risk of harm. There may also be the possibility of a recording the service. Please talk to your funeral arranger about this.
Whilst it is still possible to place death notices in newspapers and online, we are strongly recommending that the funeral day and time are omitted. This is to prevent people with the best intentions trying to attend the service. Being turned away could be extremely upsetting for them.
Despite flowers being harder to source, local florists have worked hard throughout the lockdown to enable families to continue to have floral tributes. Many are now opening their shops so that families can visit, however, we highly recommend that you ring beforehand them beforehand to ensure they can see you.
We can now offer limousines to our families. We have installed protective screens and have strict procedures in place to ensure the safety of our families and our staff. We will advise you of these at the time of arrangement.
We are advising that all charitable donations should be done online where possible. We can set up a MuchLoved tribute page for the deceased person, which can be used as a digital memory box and to collect online donations. Anyone can visit this page and share memories, photos, stories and support.
We are more than willing to support families to organise a memorial service or celebration of life service at a later date, perhaps on a special date such as a birthday or anniversary.
This may well be an ideal opportunity to carry out any wishes that the deceased may have left for their funeral arrangements and to unite family and friends that you are not able to do at this time. Please talk to a member of our team about this and they can offer advice or provide any information you may require.
Although you cannot organise the kind of send off that you might have imagined for your loved one, please be assured that we remain committed to the highest possible standards of care and professionalism. The pledge on our mortuary doors says,
“Behind these doors is the most sacred room in the building. It is where loved ones come to be prepared for the most difficult event in a family’s life. Those that work behind these doors pledge to each family a never-ending commitment of respect and service to those that place their trust in us.”
The necessity for social isolation means that bereavement support is going to be needed more than ever. We have set up some new services to support you at this time.
GriefChat is accessible through on our website at https://www.rosedalefuneralhome.co.uk/bereavement-support/. Simply click on the GriefChat box and you can talk to a specially trained counsellor who can listen, explore how grief is affecting you and help you find any additional support you may need. Completely free, it will operate from 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday, and via email outside these hours.
We felt it was really important to continue offering the vital support people need, especially now when it is difficult to spend time with family and friends. Grief is different for everyone and sometimes, people want advice, support and a listening ear from someone outside the family. We are a family business and are here to help anyone.
For any further information, please don’t hesitate to contact any of our branches:
