We hope it's reassuring for you to know that we're only a phone call away.
Whatever the circumstances, and wherever the death has taken place, you can rely on our team to take care of next steps…
You should call the deceased's GP or out-of-hours doctor who will visit to confirm death and issue a medical statement. This is used to register the death at your local registrar's office. We can make an appointment for you to register the death at your local council offices.
If a cremation is preferred, the doctor must be told so that they can complete the right forms.
Our team will arrange a second doctor to complete the paperwork and you or a next of kin must complete a section of the form.
When this is done, we will ask about the deceased's and your wishes and take the deceased to our funeral home.
Once you've let us know that the doctor has confirmed death, we can make arrangements with the nursing staff. We can take your loved one to the funeral home and we will arrange with you a time to discuss arrangements.
We have a dedicated Repatriation Manager who is expert in returning your loved one home.
They can liaise with the Funeral Director in the country where the death occurred and make funeral arrangements. They can also deal with any other interested parties on your behalf, such as the British Consular Office, insurance companies or airlines.
We have long experience of arranging funeral services. Each one is different and reflects, honours and respects the life of your loved one. You can choose to have a traditional funeral with the coffin resting open at home, or at our funeral home. Both are opportunities to allow friends and family to pay respects and say goodbye.
Or you can have a private funeral for family and close friends, with a service of celebration after the committal at a time of your choosing.
We will always endeavour to give best advice and fulfil any wished wherever possible. In every case, we can take all the details, liaise with officials and clergy, and prepare notices for newspapers and online.
We can also help to arrange floral tributes or donations in lieu, according to your preference.
We can assist you with purchasing a grave from your church or local council cemetery. There is usually a charge or reopening a grave and deeds/documents are required.
If a cremation is preferred, the doctor must be told so that they can complete the right forms. We will help you to complete all other required forms. We will also arrange the cremation with Belfast City Council.
As explained in the Costs section, cremation costs depend on whether the deceased was a resident of Belfast or not. There is also a doctor's fee. We pay these in advance and they are included in your overall funeral costs.
The days after a funeral take place can be a time to reflect and adjust. It can also be a bewildering time. As we understand the many things that often need to be done when someone dies, we have put together this checklist to help you.
You won't need to do everything on the list but it is a useful guide to who needs to be informed, documentation that needs to be completed or, for example, equipment that may need to be returned.
As part of our service to you, we prepare and post information about your loved one and their funeral here. Please share with your family and friends and feel free to share condolences, memories and photographs.
We can also help to make the collection of donations for your chosen charity as easy as possible. Please ask if you would like further advice.
Call 028 8775 2212 or email us.
