In a time, grief many people like to have the comfort of a church funeral. A Church of England-led funeral is available to everyone, giving support before, during and after the service, for as long as it’s needed. We welcome families of those who have been resident in one of our villages to our churches for such an event. Ministers are also available to conduct a service at the local crematoria.

On the Church of England website there is a lot of information about funerals and how to organise them. Go to https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/funerals

Practical details

Sometimes a minister is aware of a death before a Funeral Director calls but often the first contact is when a Funeral director enquires about the availability of a church or a minister. Once the minister has been contacted, he or she will arrange a time to meet the family to discuss the service, our aim is to make the service as personal as possible. This includes, hymns, readings, tributes, and finding out more about the person who has died.

Music / hymns

None of our churches have the facilities for the playing of pre-recorded music. Therefore, if a family requires a pre-recorded item to be played during a service, they are responsible for this. As with all aspects of the service this should be discussed with the minister before making final arrangements.

Flowers

You are welcome to decorate the church with additional flowers. The practicalities of this should be discussed with the minister or churchwardens, especially as there are times of the year when traditionally the church is not decorated.

Fees

These are fixed on a national basis. In addition to the fee for the service there is an additional cost for an organist, bells (if required) and during the winter (October to March) a heating charge of £25 is added. Payment of fees is made by the Funeral Director on your behalf.

Churchyard

We are very fortunate to have six churchyards which are still open for burials. There is a fee for this, which is set by the Church of England on a national basis. There are rules about what can be put on graves, these cover both the sort of headstone or tablet that can be erected and also the prohibition of certain things such as statues, tea lights and artificial flowers. The Churchyard regulations are displayed in each church.