Advice, guides & articles

Environmentally friendly funerals such as Green/Woodland Funerals are becoming more popular as people grow more aware of their impact on the environment. The idea of an eco friendly funeral is to have as little impact as possible on the environment, using less harmful materials for the preparation of the body and also for the burial itself, which usually takes place in designated woodland areas or natural burial grounds.

Today (March 23rd) marks a year since the United Kingdom entered its first Coronavirus ‘lockdown’. Since then, over 100,000 lives have been lost across the country. This staggering amount of loss is almost hard to comprehend, not least because just over a year ago Coronavirus was only just beginning to appear and many assumed it would fizzle out as these types of disease often do. The well-known charity Marie Curie is marking this poignant milestone with what it calls a National Day of Reflection. In today’s special blog, I am going to cover in further detail what the Day of Reflection entails and how you can get involved.

On March 23rd there will be a national day of reflection as we mark the anniversary of lockdown one. I remember it all so well. The dread and panic spreading through the office in the weeks before, will we work from home? Hushed management meetings named ‘disaster recovery’ that made us all feel anxious not knowing what might happen in the coming days. And the news. 24 hour news cycles striking fear into our hearts and minds. It’s fair to say in the last year and a bit we’ve all made some memories we never thought we would. So how has this last year impacted our mental health and what have we learned about ourselves since the first lockdown?

On 23rd March we will have reached the first anniversary of the first UK lockdown, and our first ever National Day of Reflection. This is not the kind of anniversary that we’re going to be celebrating with an Iceland buffet and some decorative bunting, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth giving it the time and thought that it deserves. As of writing this blog, there have been approximately 125,000 registered Coronavirus deaths in the UK since the start of the pandemic. The numbers have been talked about a lot in the media, whether it’s the number of deaths or the number of cases, and now the number of vaccinations, but one thing that we at funeral-notices.co.uk have always tried to remind ourselves of is that behind each number is a name.

With Marie Curie’s National Day of Reflection approaching on 23rd March, I wanted to reflect on how our grieving process has changed in the last year, and how we can adapt to ensure we are still able to mourn despite restrictions. The way we grieve has had to change a lot since the pandemic began, with restrictions being placed on how many people can attend a funeral and some people being unable to attend funerals as they are shielding. The most painful consequence is that a lot of people are unable to be with their loved ones in their final moments, making it that much harder when they do pass away. It’s difficult to grieve when you feel like you were unable to say goodbye, and a funeral usually gives us the chance to do that. At a time when so many people are losing loved ones, it’s more important than ever that we are able to grieve properly.

How Much Has Been Raised for Charity on Funeral-Notices in the last 12 Months? That's a great question and one we are really proud to answer: Our audience have raised £1 Million for charities in the last 12 months. One Million Pounds - Thank you so much. In this blog we will explore how Gift Aid adds even more value on to the £1 million and how many people have helped us raise such a fantastic amount for charities.

When you think of Mother’s Day, you think of the daffodil. But why is that? Is it as simple a reason as the fact Mother’s Day falls around the start of spring, or is there more to it; has it taken on a life of its own? In today’s blog I’m going to take a look into how the association between flower and event has sprung up (pun intended).

What a difference a couple of sunny days and a press conference from a Prime Minister can make! This time last month I’d had just about enough of lockdown and social isolation as I could take. We had a couple of snowy days to distract the children and make the outside world look pretty, but we were desperate to know if there would be an end to the restrictions we have lived under for almost a year now. Then came Boris Johnson’s much anticipated announcement on the Government’s exit strategy for lockdown and instantly, I felt more positive about what the year may bring. So, based on what we know as of today, what can we look forward to in 2021?

This isn’t exactly the lightest of topics, but as we spend so much of our daily lives on social media it makes sense to know what happens to everything we put out there for the world to see. Does that embarrassing video of you tripping over your own shoe laces and landing face first in a ditch just stay on the internet forever? What about all those times you were tagged in pictures that you’d rather not remember now, never mind in 50 years time?

Spring has sprung! Well, not quite. But as the worst of the winter weather has passed us by, and with both mornings and evenings getting ever lighter, we wanted to bring you a more positive blog. So, what’s more associated with spring than anything else? Flowers! Gardening has seen a huge upturn in popularity over the last 12 months due to the Coronavirus pandemic, with many stuck at home and unsure what to do with themselves. But what are the best flowers to plant for the coming months? In this blog, I’m going to give you some suggestions for what to plant ready for spring.