Arranging a funeral can be an emotionally challenging experience and certain decisions will need to be made at a time when you’re least able to do so. We at A. Welch and Sons are here to help, and we’re just a telephone call away, but for those needing an answer to the many questions you may have, the notes on this page will help.
When someone dies it is very common to get in touch with a Funeral Director. At A. Welch and Sons, we pride ourselves with the highest standard facilities, service, care, and advice we have provided to our customers over the last 75+ years. From the first moment that you contact us, the telephone will be answered by someone who can assist and give you advice 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and there are no automated switchboards or endless departments to choose from.
We will transfer the deceased to our private facilities in our own Private Ambulance. Our Ambulance is not sign-written in any way, providing a very discreet means of transfer at any time of the day or night.
We can also arrange for the deceased to be repatriated from within the UK or internationally.
We will advise you of all procedural and legal requirements relating to your own circumstances. This includes registration of the death, dealing with bank accounts, insurances, probate, and estates. If there is anything you do not understand or need assistance with, please ask us.
We will meet with you to arrange the funeral service and ensure that all the necessary paperwork is completed, collated, and sent to the appropriate places. Arrangements can be made at either of our Herne Bay or Canterbury offices, or if you prefer, we will visit you and your family at home at no extra charge. We will contact the Funeral Celebrant or Reverend on your behalf, make the necessary arrangements with doctors and hospitals, and make all the necessary reservations for the funeral service.
We have two private viewing chapels where you can visit your loved one. Visits are by appointment only but are arranged at your convenience and include evening and weekend visits. Visits can be booked from 9am to 7pm on weekdays, and 10am to 4pm on weekends.
Our mortuary facilities were completely refurbished in 2012. We have refrigerated storage facilities for the deceased. We also have a fully equipped Hygienic Treatment Theatre.
We can provide a large range of Cremated Remains Memoria including:
We will assist you in selecting and ordering Headstones and Grave Markers.
Everyone has different requirements and expectations of the funeral that they are arranging; every funeral is unique. Our list of services provides a broad overview of what we can provide, but it is by no means exhaustive. Whatever you require please talk to us; if it is possible, we will do it.
There are a few things that must be done in the days after someone dies.
*Please note that if the death has been reported to the coroner, you will not be able to register the death until the coroner gives permission. Without a cause of death, the Registrar cannot allow the death to be registered.
The Registrar will also issue what we call a “Green Form” which is the Registrar’s Certificate for Burial or Cremation, which will be required by the Funeral Director.
The Registrar can also provide you with forms for the “Tell Us Once” service which informs central and local government services of the death all at one time, replacing the old BD8 Form.
When registering a death, you will be asked for the following information about the deceased:
A doctor may report the death to a coroner if:
The coroner may decide that the cause of death is clear. In this case:
If the coroner decides that the cause of death is still unknown, the person possibly died either a violent or unnatural death, or the person died in prison or police custody, the coroner must hold an inquest. You can’t register the death until after the inquest, but the coroner can give you an interim death certificate to prove the person has died. You can use this to let organisations know of the death and apply for probate. When the inquest is over, the coroner will tell the registrar what to put in the register and is responsible for sending the relevant paperwork to the registrar.
In the United Kingdom, when someone passes away, a cremation or burial is usually performed. Everyone has different requirements and expectations of the funeral that they are arranging; every funeral is unique. Our list of services provides a broad overview of what we can provide but it is by no means exhaustive. Whatever you require, please talk to us, and if it’s possible we will do it.
When a cremation is chosen as the preferred type of funeral, A. Welch and Sons will arrange for the necessary forms to be completed by the nearest surviving relative and/or executor.
A cremation takes place at a Crematorium. It can occur after a funeral service has been held in a church or other venue. Most crematoriums also have their own service chapels to allow you to have the funeral service all in one location. Once the cremation has taken place there are many options available with regards to the remains of your loved one, which we will be happy to discuss with you in detail.
We can help you with all necessary requirements for a cremation, including choosing the venue, and taking care of all documentation and formalities.
A burial can take place in either a Cemetery or a Churchyard. It can occur after a funeral service has been held in a church, another venue, or you can have a service held at the graveside.
In England and Wales, burial took place principally in churchyards until the 19th century. Concerns about hygiene in the mid-19th century resulted in many town and city churchyards being closed. This was followed by the development of larger joint-stock cemeteries and municipal cemeteries, often on urban fringes. These took on the larger proportion of burials. The term ‘burial grounds’ is often used to denote either, though it is also used to denote the burial place of a distinctive group, either by religion or national identity.
Anyone can be buried in a local authority cemetery, which will sometimes be divided into sections for different faiths, and those of no faith. Different religions and cultures have developed different rites and practices for the disposal of the dead, and these must be considered and respected. There are a number of separate Jewish and Muslim cemeteries for example, but there are also many cemeteries where different religions are given separate areas within the public cemetery.
A burial in a churchyard is open to all members of the church’s parish, as long as the churchyard isn’t closed. A churchyard becomes closed when there are no more available spaces for burials, however you may still be able to have cremated remains interred.
As members of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), A. Welch and Sons Ltd agree to comply with the principles and the details of this Code of Practice.
Full document available at The Funeral Director Code – The NAFD
Members must:
This Code of Practice and adherence here to is monitored by the National Association of Funeral Directors. You can contact the NAFD in writing to the following address:
NAFD LTD
618 Warwick Road
Solihull
West Midlands
B91 1AA
If you need further information or clarifications, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Heart E Designs - https://www.heartedesigns.com/funeral
Ashes Into Glass - https://ashesintoglass.co.uk/
Urns UK - https://urnsuk.com/
For a 10% discount on Urns UK products, please contact A Welch & Sons directly to place your order.
