Advice, guides & articles

If someone close to you dies, most likely you will find out fairly quickly. However, what about someone you’re not too close to, or someone you used to know but have now lost touch with? You may not be able to ask someone who might know, or you may not feel it’s appropriate. Here are some ways you can find out if someone has died in the UK: Use a search engine Put their name in a search engine and see what comes up. It can be helpful to search their name + “death” or “obituary”, to see if there are any notices of death for them. If you have more information, such as where they lived, this can be helpful to narrow down the search. Check death records Death records are available to the public in the UK, so you can use websites such as www.publicrecordsearch.co.uk to see if you can find anything. You may need to register to see any results, but this is usually free. Local Newspaper If you want to keep tabs on friends in your area, you can check your local newspaper regularly for notices of death, but if you’re wanting to find out if someone has already passed away it may be a better idea to check their websites. www.funeral-notices.co.uk has thousands of death notices open to the public, and it’s as easy as typing a name into the search. Genealogy websites Sites such as www.ancestry.co.uk can be useful when searching for details of someone who died a long time ago. Grave records Websites such as https://www.findagrave.com/ have records of graves all over the world, some of the records even include a photo of the grave in question. You can see what was inscribed on the gravestone, and sometimes further details are available. Social Media Many people announce deaths on social media now, so it’s always worth checking sites such as Facebook and Instagram. Searching a name should bring up that person’s profile if they have one. If they have passed away, their wall will likely have tributes from others posted on it. You can also check the profiles of other friends or family members, to see if they have posted anything. Check newspaper archives If you’re searching for information for someone who died a long time ago, it may not be online. You may have to search through old newspaper archives, which can be found at your local library. Thank you for reading.

With over 5,000,000 notices here on funeral-notices.co.uk, we know that these are made up of predominantly “regular” people; your mum, brother, aunt, next door neighbour, or old school friend. Occasionally though, a celebrity funeral notice makes it onto the site featuring someone who has in some way captured the hearts of fans nationwide. In 2023 we have been unfortunate to lose a few beloved stars of music, film and television, but we thought it would be nice to take a look at some of the touching tributes visitors have left on their notices.

You often hear complaints about people staring too much at their phones instead of taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the world around them, but what if you could use your mobile as a tool to get you out and about seeing more than ever? Now we are well into Spring, and Summer feels like it’s just over the horizon, there is no better time to get outside and make the most of the good weather. To help us do that, we have checked out a few apps that will hopefully help you do just that.

The Coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday 6th May 2023. The following statement has been released by the Royal Family on their website royal.uk: "The Coronation Ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort. The Coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry."

Lupus, also known as ‘systemic lupus erythematosus’, actually has an interesting etymology. ‘Lupus’ is Latin for ‘wolf’ and ‘erythro’ is derived from the Greek word for ‘red’. The disease was named this way because of the rash that was supposed to resemble a wolf’s bite.

When people talk about how to improve mental health, things like a healthy diet and regular exercise are commonly mentioned. While these things are important, they are not the only ways to improve our mental health. Engaging in creative activities on a regular basis can also help to improve mental health, brain function and our overall health and wellbeing, as well as being a lot of fun.

Ever since I was little, I’ve loved stories in all their forms, whether reading them, writing them, playing them or watching them. For me, reading a book is the perfect way to escape to a different world for a few hours. However, there are still plenty of people out there who rarely, if ever, read for fun. So, with World Book Night around the corner, this post explores the positive effect regular reading can have on our mental health.

Did you know that there’s a National Hamster Day? How about a National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day? Or International Sword Swallowers Day..? There seems to be a day for just about everything, and if there isn’t one yet, then it’s probably just a matter of time! So if we can find the time in our lives to appreciate sword swallowers and hamsters, then it is only fitting that we acknowledge the planet they live on.

A funeral celebrant officiates at a funeral service and is usually not connected with any religious beliefs or practices. To help gain an understanding of what a celebrant does, we spoke with Caroline Kay, a member of the Association of Independent Celebrants, based in East Yorkshire.

According to Statista, in 2022 the average funeral 'send-off' cost people in the United Kingdom approximately £2,669 British pounds, with £1,064 of these costs going to the memorial, and catering costing around £467 pounds.* The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published a report in January 2023 finding that: "Funeral directors operating more than 4 branches charged their customers on average just over £2,600 for funeral services in the year ending 31 August 2022. This level is broadly unchanged since the previous year, representing a reduction in real terms, at a time when many other prices are increasing."