Funeral arrangements - Other ways we can help

“When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure” - Author unknown.

There are many areas of funeral arrangement that we can help you with.

Burial at sea
Welham Jones can arrange a burial at sea for your loved one, if required. Usually conducted off the East Sussex coast we enlist the help of an ex-RNLI vessel crewed by retired RNVR personnel.

If considering a burial at sea there are a few things you should take into account. Please see our fact sheet for more information.

Charitable donations
If you would like to request donations for a charity that was important to you or the deceased, we can accept these on your behalf. This can include cheques made out to the charity as well as retiring collections in cash given to the funeral director on the day. Friends, family and guests can also make donations on-line via our PayPal account.

Details can be found on our Obituary page.

We suggest collections remain open for six weeks, after which time we will send the charity all the donations and your contact details, and provide you with a list of donors.

To enable charities to benefit from gift aid, tax-paying donors can complete a Gift Aid Declaration form and send this to us with their donation. You can download this from www.hmrc.gov.uk/charities or from our website here. 

Cheques must be made payable to the charity only. Gift aid is not available when placing on-line donations as we are not a charity and cannot collect it.

Obituary notices
Many people use obituary notices as a way of notifying a death to extended family, friends, colleagues and associates.

What we can do:

• Advise or draft appropriate wording.
• Place the notice in your choice of local, national or specialist newspapers.
• Provide you with a copy (copies) of the notice once in print.
• Organise a newspaper notice following the funeral to thank all who attended, sent flowers or made a donation.
• Publish notification of the death and details of the funeral on our website.

Funeral stationery
We can supply a full range of traditional funeral stationery. This includes:

• Order of service - these can include the deceased’s name and funeral details as a memento and are available in full colour or monochrome, with the option of adding any photographs or art work of your choosing. A printed order of service can avoid the need for mourners to shuffle through hymn and prayer books.
   
• Book of remembrance - mourners can sign this in person, or via an attendance card that can be added to the book later. A book of remembrance is a traditional keepsake to capture the thoughts and well wishes of those who attended the funeral.

Reflecting the deceased’s life
There are many ways to reflect the life of the deceased. We offer:

• Avant-garde coffins - using high quality images, designed to reflect the life, or lifestyle, of the deceased. 
• Flags – including service flags, the Union flag or other national flags. 
• Symbolism – this could include anything from releasing doves, to using symbolic furniture or articles supporting a wide range of religions. 
• Mementoes – to place on top of, or inside, the coffin. 
• Tribute gifts – we can offer a range of floral arrangements, including wreaths, posies, sprays and named tributes, as well as a selection of trinkets and urns. Please see our on-line shop for the full range. 
• Memorials – choose from a variety of headstones, kerb surrounds, memorials and plaques. For full details, click here. 
• Photography and videography – have the day captured visually with the help of professional photographer and videographer, Rachael Wallace. Subtle and respectful, Rachael will provide beautiful imagery for you to treasure.

Catering
We’re here to help you arrange all aspects of your loved one’s funeral, so whatever we can do to help, we will. This can include making suggestions for venues and caterers and assisting with booking. 

Due to our long-standing relationship with the community of Kent and South-East London and our knowledge of the local area, we are happy to share this with you in any way we can.

After the funeral
We can arrange the interment of cremated remains into a cemetery or churchyard and supply memorial tablets or plaques, as appropriate.

A grave must settle for six to nine months before placing any type of memorial. See our range of headstones, kerb surrounds and memorials, to find what is most suitable for you.