What To Do Next
Celina is here to exceed your expectations by providing a personal, caring, first class, professional, sympathetic, discreet, open and honest dignified Funeral Service, 24 hours a day (365 days a year). A truly Independent Funeral Director. Nothing is ever too much trouble.
Celina understands that sometimes a Weekend Funeral Service may be more suitable for your loved one or for the needs of the client/family. Celina therefore offers Funeral Services 7-Days a Week for a Cremation Service (at Birmingham/Perry Barr Crematorium and Sandwell Valley Crematorium) and 6-Days a Week for a Burial Service at Sutton New Hall Cemetery. All Other Crematorium and Cemetery are available Monday to Friday for a Funeral Service.
Diret Cremation Funeral
C.Crawford Funeral Service recognises the need for a dignified low cost Direct Cremation Funeral for those who wish to keep the Funeral costs to a minimum or those who prefer a non-attended Funeral. For this reason, the Direct Cremation Funeral provided by C.Crawford Funeral Service is a dignified Funeral Service without any mourners present and this takes place at a Local Crematorium. Please note, no family/mourners can attend the Direct Cremation Funeral as it is a Direct Cremation Service on a day/time chosen by C.Crawford Funeral Service. Your loved one will be placed in a Light Oak Colour Wood Coffin and can be dressed in their own clothes or a Funeral Gown. Your loved one is treated with the same love, dignity and respect throughout. You are welcome to visit your loved one in the Chapel of Rest before the Direct Cremation Funeral takes place. The Cremation Ashes can either be scattered in the Gardens of Remembrance at the Crematorium or Celina will collect them personally from the Crematorium and hand-deliver them to you (if you live locally). If you live a distance away, you will need to arrange to collect them from Celina/C.Crawford Funeral Service.
How to Register a Death
Once a Doctor has certified death, a Medical Certificate showing the cause of death will be issued to the Registry Office.
The death must be registered by the Registrar of Births and Deaths for the sub-district in which the death occurred, even if the deceased resided in a different area, However, you do not need to wait until you have registered the death with the Registrar before you can make the Funeral Arrangements with C.Crawford Funeral Service, please come in and see Celina straightaway (or as soon as you feel ready).
On registration, the Registrar will give you a Certificate for Burial or Cremation (known as the Green Form) which I will require from you or the Registrar.
Copies of the Death Certificate are available but you will have to pay the Registrar a fee for each copy. You may need additional copies of the Death Certificate to send to Insurance Companies, Personal Pension Companies and so on.
When you register the death, you will be given details from the Registrar for the “Tell Us Once” Service. This Service informs the Government Departments and Local Authority Services that need to be told about the death and saves a lot of telephone calls you would normally have to make. Details will be provided to you from the Registrar.
Deaths Referred to the Coroner
The Coroner Service looks into someone’s death when they have died, and:
- The cause of death is unknown; or
- The cause of death is unnatural.
The Police, Hospital Bereavement Services, Individual Drs/GPs and Nursing/Care Homes can refer a death to the Coroner, where necessary. They'll give the Coroner some basic information about the death, the identity of the person who's died (the deceased) and their next of kin (closest living relatives), if known.
A member of the Coroner's Team will contact the deceased's next of kin in the days following the referral to ask them:
- for the deceased’s details, such as their full name, date of birth, address, occupation, marital status and medical history;
- to confirm the circumstances of the death.
In some cases, no further investigations are needed.
However, if a Doctor can't say what the likely cause of death was or didn't treat the deceased during their last illness, then the Coroner will decide what investigations (such as a post-mortem or Coroner's Inquest) are necessary and let the next of kin know.
The Cost of Funerals
Funeral costs will vary for each Client depending on the type of Funeral Service you choose and the Costs involved for the Funeral Service.
Funeral costs consist of two parts: Funeral Directors Fees and the Disbursements Fees (e.g. the cost of the Cemetery or Crematorium, Church Fees, Organists Fee, Ministers Fee, Doctors Fee, etc).
Funeral Directors Charges
Funeral Directors Charges include (but not limited to): providing a 24-Hour Service for the support and assistance to clients. The transfer of the deceased to the Funeral Home from their place of death (24-Hour Service). Preparation and care of the deceased. The use of the Chapel of Rest (by Appointment). Liaising with your chosen Minister/Celebrant, Ordering Flowers (where required), Drafting Orders of Service (where required), Newspaper Notices (where required) and making all the Funeral Arrangements on your behalf, obtaining statutory forms from Hospital/Doctors/Coroner and the delivery of all the necessary documentation to the appropriate Authorities and the services of the Funeral Director on the day of the Funeral.
Disbursements
Disbursements include the following (but not limited to): the cost of the Cemetery or Crematorium, Church Fees, Minister/Priest/Celebrant Fee, Doctors Fee, Hearse/Limousine Fees, Horsedrawn Carriage Fee, Motorcycle Funeral Fee, Flowers, Newspaper Announcements, Orders of Service, etc.
Funeral Wishes
Some people have difficulty making their wishes known to their loved ones. Others want to seek advice and assistance from a Funeral Director before their Funeral is needed but do not require any money to be paid upfront as the Funeral is paid for “at the time of need”. Celina therefore provides a Service called “Funeral Wishes” - these are Your Wishes that you would like for your Funeral Service, recorded in a document for you to keep safely for your family/friends to make everything easier for them about what you would like for your Funeral Service. When the time comes to make your Funeral Service arrangements your family brings the “Funeral Wishes” document to Celina and she will carry out the Funeral Service you requested in your “Funeral Wishes” document.
“Funeral Wishes” are often included in Wills, but this is not always appropriate as the content of the Will is sometimes not known until after the Funeral has taken place.
Whatever the circumstances, if you know how you would like your Funeral Service to occur and want to record your “Funeral Wishes” with C.Crawford Funeral Service, then please contact Celina on 0121 313 0026. Once your “Funeral Wishes” are recorded with me, all you need to do is let your Next of Kin and/or Executor know. Your “Funeral Wishes” can be added to and changed by you at any time, without charge. There is no obligation with this arrangement, and it is a Service provided by Celina at C.Crawford Funeral Service - Free of Charge, for your peace of mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
When a death which has been expected occurs at Home, the Doctor who has been treating the deceased should be contacted. The Doctor or a Fully Trained/Qualified District Nurse will attend to confirm that death has occurred and will give permission for the deceased to be transferred to C.Crawford Funeral Service. If the death is unexpected and Ambulance/Paramedics have attended, they will certify death. Please contact Celina on 0121 313 0026 (24-Hours Service) and we will attend to transfer the deceased to my Funeral Home.
If a Relative who has been a Hospital in-patient dies, the Doctors who have been treating the deceased will usually be able to issue the Medical Certificate. Most Hospitals will give family members the opportunity to sit with the deceased before transfer from the Ward or Private Room. The deceased will then be taken to the Hospital Mortuary, prior to me transferring into my care (as soon as the Hospital paperwork is completed).
It is the Coroner's responsibility to ascertain the cause of death. The vast majority of deaths that are reported to the Coroner are discovered to be from natural causes - only a small proportion require further investigation. If required, the Coroner will conduct a post-mortem examination of the deceased, which involves examination of the organs to ascertain the cause of the death. The Coroner does not require permission to investigate a death within his/her jurisdiction and cannot be prevented from doing so. In certain circumstances, the Coroner may investigate a death even when the person has been ill for some time. The Coroner has to investigate deaths from diseases which may have been caused by the deceased's occupation or deaths after recent operations. As Your Local Independent Funeral Director I am fully familiar with all the Coroner's procedures, and I will be able to advise you how to proceed.
Choosing a Funeral Director can be difficult, especially if you are confronted with having to make a quick decision. Many people ask friends or relatives to recommend a Funeral Director that they have dealt with or have heard positive comments about.
No, not with C.Crawford Funeral Service. Arranging the Funeral involves you discussing with Celina the type of Funeral required and Celina will offer you advice and information as appropriate. This can be done as soon as you have made certain decisions about the Funeral - e.g. whether it will be a Burial or Cremation. Then, once you have registered the death, you or the Registrar need to provide me with the Green Form.
Your Relative will remain at my Funeral Home in Walmley, Sutton Coldfield until the time of the Funeral. Celina will do everything she can so that you can come and see your Relative as quickly as possible after the death. Once all the legalities are complete and a Coffin has been chosen, your Relative will be prepared and dressed and placed into their chosen Coffin. An Appointment can then be made to come and visit your Relative in the Chapel of Rest.
Every coffin is cremated individually. At the Funeral Home, Celina checks the identification of the person against the Name Plate on the Coffin. At the Crematorium, the Attendant checks the identification on the Coffin Name Plate before we go into the Chapel and again before it is placed in the Cremator. The Cremator is only big enough to accommodate one Coffin at a time. The Coffin is identified on the outside of the Cremator, and once the Cremation has taken place and the Cremated Remains/Ashes are cooled, they are placed in to the Crematorium Box, which is also identified.
