Advice, guides & articles

To mark the start of LGBT+ History Month, I thought I would take a look at LGBTQ+ representation in one of my favourite mediums, comic books! I’ve read a lot of comic books and graphic novels over the years, but lately I have come to appreciate those that make the effort to include a more diverse cast of characters, and so I thought I would share a few of my favourite comics and graphic novels that feature LGBTQ+ representation in one form or another. There are thousands of books out there that could fit onto this list, but I only wanted to share books that I myself have read and enjoyed, and therefore could honestly recommend. They are in no particular order, and hopefully there is something here for everyone!

I don’t know if this is something that everyone thinks about, but at my own funeral I know for certain that I don’t want everyone listening to Robbie Williams belting out ‘Angels’ for the billionth time, or some classical music piece that I had absolutely no affinity for. No, I want songs to play that would have meant something to me, or songs that remind others of me and the kind of music I enjoy. That’s why I thought I would put together this list of alternative rock songs that could be played at a funeral; to provide rock fans with some inspiration if you have been thinking about it for yourself, or maybe if you have the heartbreaking task of arranging someone else's funeral who you know would appreciate some of their own personality being stamped onto the occasion.

I found this article hard to write. Most of my knowledge of the Holocaust comes from the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman (which I highly recommend if you are at all interested), so my attempts to tell you about Holocaust Memorial Day would have been little more than a copy and paste of information you can find on these great websites: - Holocaust Memorial Day Trust - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum What I can bring you that is unique to funeral-notices.co.uk is a few of the people who really were actually a part of the story. After doing a little research I found some tribute pages for Holocaust Survivors; people who escaped those horrors and went on to live a full life here in the UK.

There are many different types of people in the world, with different backgrounds, beliefs, and abilities. Nobody should be treated differently because of any of these things, and that’s what inclusion is all about; making sure everyone, no matter who they are, feels included.

Chinese New Year 2023 falls on a Sunday this year, 22nd January. It is an occasion observed across the globe, typically by people of Chinese heritage.

In 2022, we welcomed more than 12.6 million unique users* to funeral-notices.co.uk - that's almost 20% of the adult population of the UK, or 1 in 5. A very strong and growing audience for what is one of the saddest, yet most important, announcements we will ever have to make. In addition to this we recorded more than 236.5 million page views over 33.9 million sessions. Notices were shared on social media over 91,800 times - helping families collect memories on their notices that will last forever. Over the year, more than 60 thousand photos and videos were added to tribute pages, more than 191 thousand tributes added and over 161 thousand virtual candles lit in memory - an amazing number of interactions. If you contributed to these numbers, thank you very much. Families love to see tributes and memories shared on their notices.

In 2022, 111 different blogs were published here on funeral-notices.co.uk, taking our total to over 270 articles since we launched. We have more visitors than ever coming to our blogs, and so we thought it would be fun to countdown the ten most popular articles in 2022*. 10. How does the Winter Solstice tie into Christmas What is the winter solstice? When is the winter solstice? You’ll find the answers to these questions and more here! Read the article here 9. How to cope with the loss of a loved one at Christmas An article that obviously resonated with many users of funeral-notices.co.uk at such a difficult time of year, and we sincerely hope that you found it helpful in some way. Read the article here 8. Make your final resting place a unique one at The Lost Village of Dode An interesting one in which we learned about the Holly Barrow in the Lost Village of Dode. You don’t know what a Barrow is? Then make sure you have a read and find out! Read the article here 7. Is it a legal requirement to put a death notice in the newspaper? Some of our articles try to answer questions that people frequently search Google for answers to, and this is one of those questions that people are still regularly pondering. Read the article here 6. The benefits of an online funeral notice We are often guilty of thinking about Funeral Notices as being something you see in a printed newspaper, but more and more we are seeing people choose to announce their loved ones passing online. This popular blog explains everything you need to know about placing an online Funeral Notice. Read the article here 5. Highlights of the Queen's Life The passing of Queen Elizabeth brought the country to a standstill, so we tried to acknowledge it by creating a few blogs on her life and work. This particular one showcased some highlights of her extraordinary life, and it proved to be very popular with our readers. Read the article here 4. Positive Vibes Only We don’t often highlight other businesses, but Positive Vibes Only struck a chord with us and it seems that they did with you too! Read the article here 3. How to view and search for a notice on funeral-notices.co.uk (video) Sometimes what people want to read is a simple ‘how to’ guide, and this one features a video that teaches you the basics of how to find a notice here on funeral-notices.co.uk. Read the article here 2. How can I find out if someone has died This blog is actually over two years old now, but it continues to be one of our most read articles as people regularly find us on Google by asking it the question ‘how can I find out if someone has died?’ Read the article here

Do you ever feel like you need a break from your usual routine? Winter's deep chill and dark nights may make it hard to get out and switch up, but in this blog we give you 7 ideas to help you make the best of a cold and dark night without ever having to leave your home!

January can be a difficult time for a lot of people, with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) being far more prevalent in winter than in summer. So how do we beat the January blues?

Physical activity has been shown to have a tremendous impact on our mental health, and this is the reason RED January was started in 2016. January can be a tough month to get through, but taking part in RED January will give you something to aim for, and a way to beat the January blues. The aim of RED January is to encourage people to support their own mental wellbeing, as well as to raise funds for Sport in Mind to help them support others. The idea is to take part in some form of physical activity every day throughout January. The activity can be anything; walking, cycling, yoga, swimming, running. It’s entirely up to you, as long as you make sure to get yourself moving.