Funeral Directors

Funeral Directors used to be known as ‘Undertakers’ and there are some 4000 in the UK so there will be several in the area where you need to arrange a funeral. Most families do use a Funeral Director to help with the funeral, but it is not a legal requirement to do so and you can arrange all aspects of the funeral yourself (See Funeral Choices).

Funeral Directors will carry out three main tasks for you:

• They will look after the body of the person who has died until the funeral
• They will act as an administrator and make sure all the paperwork is dealt with
• They will direct the funeral on the day

In fact whatever questions you have about the funeral, the funeral director will be aware of local choices and they will be able to advise on all aspects. However choosing a funeral director in the first place is a very important decision.

If the funeral you are arranging is in your local area, then asking people you know, who have used local companies, for recommendations is one way of researching and the general reputation of the company may be known. However, If you are arranging a funeral from some distance away you may not have access to this so we do recommend calling a few different companies and asking suitable questions to find the company that feels right to you. See Questions to ask a funeral director.