PRESS INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF ALLIED AND INDEPENDENT FUNERAL DIRECTORS 

Sun Life Direct Putting Up Cost of Dying

Like Mark Twain's death, the cost of dying may keep going up, but quoting a nice round figure of £7100 might to most people seem a bit excessive. Especially when the total has been bumped up to include catering, hire of a reception venue after the funeral, a following limousine and even the cost of a headstone. Based on an Average Funeral Pricing Survey for August 2009 conducted for Sun Life Direct by Mintel Research Consultancy, only 29 to 40 per cent of this figure includes direct costs for arranging for a cremation - now the most common funeral option within the UK.

"What is worrying about such sensationalist figures, is that they are based upon market research that may not reflect real life choices. In our experience, not everyone will want a formal reception after the funeral, and even where somebody has opted for a woodland burial, the cost of a commemorative sapling is considerably less than a conventional stone memorial", says Alun Tucker, CEO of the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral directors (SAIF).

"As independent professionals too, we need to question whether Sun Life Direct's attempts to steer people towards a 'one size fits all' limited option funeral plan is in the consumer's best interests. It might appear a relatively painless way of confronting an uncomfortable fact today, but one that tomorrow can so easily leave those special final wishes of a loved one forever unfulfilled. Not to mention forcing the family to deal with a funeral home whom they may have never had contact before, in a location that could be inconvenient, and whose facilities on offer at the time of need - fleet, chapel of rest or level of service - might not be quite what they expect."

"It is precisely issues like these that our National Bereavement Awareness Week initiative during September aims to address. By providing a more relaxed atmosphere to discuss the increasingly varied options now available - whether it is the traditional Victorian horse-drawn funeral, a celebration of a life, or a simple and restrained farewell for just close family - this initiative is about helping people make informed decisions about an event that most of us will have to face at least twice in our lives".

National Bereavement Awareness Week runs from the 21st to 26th September 2009, when SAIF members up and down the country will open their doors to the public to foster a greater awareness of the services which they can provide, and help relieve the British taboo on death.

Ends

Notes to editors

Images and further information at: http://www.aardvarkpr.co.uk/downloads.htm

To locate their local SAIF funeral director, members of the public can visit the SAIF website at http://www.saif.org.uk

Editors contact:				Aardvark Associates tel. 01308 897 911 
Company contact:			SAIF  tel. 0845 230 6777

Please note that this document is for information only and is non-contractual;
both Aardvark Associates and SAIF. decline all liability in the case of omissions or errors.