Funeral Plan Q & A's

The Board of Trustees has appointed a wide panel of Fund Managers who invest the funds in a cautious and balanced manner. Barnett Waddingham of Glasgow, the consulting actuaries, appraise the Fund performance regularly.

Back in 2004, an average funeral cost around £1,920. However, recent research† shows the average cost of a funeral in the UK is now £3,609 - an increase of 88% in ten years, well above the general level of inflation. If this trend continues, the average cost of a funeral in 2024 will be over £6,800.

Paying in advance for your funeral is a sensible decision that will save money, benefiting your family or estate. We guarantee that, as long as your plan is paid for, there’ll be no more to pay for the services within our control making this a sensible alternative to saving

We offer a balanced approach to third party costs. Third party costs are not within our financial control. These expenses include the fees for the cemetery, crematorium, and clergy or officiant, which will be costed at today’s prices in your plan.

Your payment is held with a view to maintaining a level of growth at least equivalent to the increases in inflation. However, if at the time of the funeral, the increase in the third party costs is greater than the growth, we would have the option to approach the family for an additional amount.

Third party costs may include:

• Crematorium fee
• Clergy/officiant’s fee
• Purchase of grave or lair
• Cemetery fee: the opening of an existing or new grave for burial or interment of cremated remains
• Hire of church or other venue
• Fees of organist or soloist
• Memorial, such as a headstone, entry in a book of remembrance or planting of a tree
• Catering, floral tributes and newspaper announcements