Working for Ceremony Choice and against Ceremony Poverty
Image: Sarah Johnson Photography for Dead GoodFuneral poverty has been getting increasingly worse in recent years. Sun Life produces a report annually on the Cost of Dying and they estimate one in people five people / families paying for a funeral will get into financial difficulty. As the North East is one of areas of England most affected by poverty and inequalities, funeral poverty is likely to be experienced by more than one in five in the region.
I run my celebrant practice as a socially trading organisation. This means I do not focus solely on earning income, but also on doing social good. As well as holding ceremonies that foster togetherness, I work to help tackle ceremony poverty and to promote funeral and end of life choice.
Tackling Ceremony Poverty
Offering a high quality service only to those who can afford to pay would not be in line with my inclusive values. However, routinely waiving fees would threaten the sustainability of my practice. To solve this, I developed a community initiative called Solidarity Ceremonies. Solidarity Ceremonies is a pay it forward scheme to help cover celebrancy costs, particularly funeral celebrancy, for people in financial need. Every client is offered the option to pay it forward with no pressure to do so. I then provide celebrant support to families who need it, using the funds generated.
As I am giving clients the option to pay it forward, I should also be willing to do so. I pay it forward by gifting my celebrant service to people with terminal or life shortening illnesses. Couples in this situation need their ceremony without delay and I understand that money can be a barrier for them, particularly when one is close to end of life.
I work with trusted organisations to get subsidised or gifted celebrant support to people. Please do not approach me directly to deliver a subsided ceremony for you. I do not have capacity to run my practice and receive unplanned requests for support. If you would like to contribute in solidarity with people facing financial stress and grief, please get in touch.
Promoting Funeral Choices
Funeral Choice Priorities
There is a need for more information on end of life and funeral choices presented in the best interests of people.
I prioritise providing information on:
Lower cost funeral ceremony options, such as do-it-yourself funerals and low-cost coffins.
Funeral choices that reduce the cost to the earth, such as natural burial.
The importance of end of life planning.
Image: Sarah Johnson Photography for Dead GoodWorking with Others to Promote Choices
I am always keen to collaborate with people with good values and similar goals. I am part of Canny Death Collective. The collective is made up of North East practitioners and organisations involved different aspects of end of life care. We collaborate to engage with communities / the public on how to have the best end of life possible.
If you are are keen to collaborate with me or the wider collective, please get in touch.
Further Information and Support
These names of national level groups and organisations associated with death are provided with a brief explanation of what they do.
Child Bereavement UK - an organisation that supports children and young people affected by bereavement: https://www.childbereavementuk.org/
Death Café - a movement encourages people to hold open and non-directive conversations about death. Death Café provides guidelines on how to facilitate these conversations: https://deathcafe.com/
Down to Earth - a helpline and support service from Quaker Social Action that helps people in funeral poverty: https://quakersocialaction.org.uk/we-can-help/helping-funerals/down-earth
Dying Matters / Hospice UK - a coalition of organisations that support end of life planning. They organisation information for the public as well as Dying Matters Week each year: https://www.hospiceuk.org/our-campaigns/dying-matters
End of Life Doula UK - a membership organisation for end of life doulas (also known as death doula or death midwife) and provides information on how to get support from a doula: https://eol-doula.uk/
Gift of a Wedding - an organisation that organises weddings at short notice when one member of the couple is close to the end of life: https://www.giftofawedding.org/
Good Funeral Guide - provides free and independent information and advice for people planning a funeral: https://goodfuneralguide.co.uk/
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) - Support, information, email support and helpful for people who have been affected by a suicide: https://uksobs.com/
The Natural Death Centre - a charity which oversees the Association of Natural Burial Grounds. It holds a list of most natural burial grounds in the country. A secure link not available but the site can be found using a search engine.
Contact Kate to Discuss Social Purpose
Do you think our values and social purpose align well? Do you think we could work well together? If so, please get in touch with me and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
