April 19th 2024.
Rachael Lee was heartbroken when she lost her beloved parents, Bob and Carol. They were more than just a family, they were a close-knit trio. The love and bond between them was unbreakable. Rachael was their only child, and they cared for her deeply. When Carol was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease seven years ago, the couple made a decision to ease the burden on Rachael by paying into a funeral fund. They wanted to ensure that when the inevitable happened, Rachael wouldn't have to shoulder the cost alone.
But life can be unpredictable, and just before Christmas last year, Bob, a retired paramedic and a pillar of the community, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 70. He was recovering from infected gallstones when Rachael went to visit him and found him unresponsive in bed. This was a devastating blow for Rachael, who was already struggling with the loss of her father. Little did she know, she was about to face another tragedy. Her mother, Carol, passed away the same month at the age of 68.
Rachael and her parents had a special relationship. They would go on regular holidays together and she lived just around the corner from them. When Carol's condition worsened, she was moved into a care home nearby, and Rachael would visit her every day after work. She would also visit her father, who lived close by. They were not just a family, they were best friends.
After losing both her parents, Rachael remembered that they had set up a funeral plan. As a recruitment manager from the West Midlands, she had the responsibility of handling all the necessary arrangements. It was a daunting task, but she found some comfort in knowing that the funerals were already paid for. However, her hopes were shattered when an automated message informed her that the funeral plan had collapsed.
Rachael was shocked. She had always believed that her parents' funerals would be covered, as they had paid into funeral plans before their passing. "My mum and dad had paid for two funeral plans - one for each of them. They didn't want me to have to face the burden of paying for their funerals. So, it was a shock when I found out that there was nothing there," she recalls.
Upon further investigation, Rachael discovered that her parents had paid an estimated £7,000 into funds with Safe Hands Plans Limited. But when she tried to contact the provider, she found out that they had gone bankrupt in 2022. She was one of around 46,000 plan holders who were affected, and to make matters worse, she learned that all the money was gone. This meant that she had no funds to cover her parents' funerals.
"I felt utter despair," Rachael remembers. "Losing my dad, who was my hero, was hard enough, but then to lose my mum as well and to have to deal with this on top of it all...I felt very lonely and low. I didn't want to be bitter, but even in death, I was facing more bad luck. My dad was a good man, he saved many lives, and he did the right thing by paying for a funeral plan. I just kept thinking, how am I going to give him the send-off he deserves?"
Rachael was going through a tough time in her personal life as well, having just gone through a divorce. Money was tight, and whatever she saved seemed to disappear, whether it was for increased bills, home maintenance, or a broken boiler. "Being on my own, I didn't have any savings. I had nothing to spare," she says. "It was distressing, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to do justice to my parents' funerals."
The rising cost of funerals in the UK only added to Rachael's worries. According to the SunLife Cost of Dying Report for 2024, the average cost of a basic funeral has reached £4,141, up from £3,953 the previous year. In the last 20 years, there has been a 126% increase in funeral costs, mainly due to inflation. This leaves a struggling working population with impossible costs to bear.
The report also found that 44% of people say the cost-of-living crisis affected how they organized and paid for their loved ones' funeral. 24% say that paying for a funeral had a negative impact on their own standard of living. Pastor Mick Fleming, founder of Burnley charity Church on The Street, has seen the devastating effects of poverty on people's lives, particularly among younger people who struggle with issues like suicide and other health problems. He has also witnessed the struggles of pensioner parents who don't qualify for funeral grants and are unable to afford a funeral for their children.
"People are now too poor to die," Pastor Fleming says bluntly. "If families can't even afford to put food on the table every day, how are they supposed to find over £4,000 for a funeral? It's impossible." He goes on to explain that he has seen an increase in Go Fund Me pages for funerals, and people are getting into high-interest debt because they have a low credit rating due to poverty and the need to borrow money to make ends meet. "It's a vicious cycle," he adds. "Families are falling out because one person has paid, and the others simply can't afford to."
The situation becomes even more dire for those living in poverty. "If you can't afford a funeral for your loved one, you're left with some pretty inhumane options," says Mick, who is also the author of "Blown Away: From Drug Dealer to Life Bringer." He explains that DWP funeral grants are rare, and even if someone does qualify, it can take three to six months for the money to come in. Meanwhile, hospitals won't keep a body beyond 21 days, and undertakers require half of their fee upfront, which can be around £800. "If you don't have that money and you don't pick up the body in time, the hospital will simply cremate it and scatter the ashes somewhere, which could be miles away," he adds. The situation is dire, and it is a stark reminder that poverty affects every aspect of life, even in death.
Rachel's world was turned upside down when her parents, Bob and Carol, passed away and their funeral plan failed. The three of them were incredibly close, and her parents had always been there for her. When Carol was diagnosed with Alzheimer's seven years ago, they had made the decision to start a funeral fund. They didn't want Rachel to have to worry about the financial burden when they were gone.
However, just before Christmas last year, Bob, a retired paramedic and a beloved member of the community, unexpectedly passed away at the age of 70. Rachel was devastated when she found him unresponsive in bed while checking on him. And as if that wasn't enough, her mother also passed away that same month at the age of 68.
Rachel and her parents had always been very close, and they often went on holidays together. She also lived just around the corner from them and would visit them every day after work. Losing them was a huge blow for Rachel, and she describes them as her best friends.
Thankfully, Rachel remembered that her parents had set up a funeral plan. As a recruitment manager in the West Midlands, she was already dealing with the grief of losing her parents, but at least she had the comfort of knowing the funerals were taken care of. Unfortunately, that comfort was short-lived when she received an automated message informing her that the plan had collapsed.
Rachel had always believed that her parents' funerals would be covered by the plan they had paid into. They had each paid for a plan, one for themselves, and one for Rachel, as they didn't want her to have to shoulder the burden. So, it was a shock when she found out that there was nothing there.
After some investigation, Rachel discovered that her parents had paid around £7,000 into a fund with Safe Hands Plans Limited. However, when she tried to contact the provider, she found out that they had collapsed in 2022, leaving her and around 46,000 other plan holders without any coverage for their funerals.
"I felt utter despair," Rachel recalls. "Losing my dad, who was my hero, and then my mom was devastating. I felt completely alone and overwhelmed. I didn't want to be bitter, but even in death, I was facing more bad luck. My dad was such a good man, and he did the right thing by paying for a funeral plan. I couldn't help but wonder how I was going to give him the send-off he deserved."
As if losing her parents wasn't enough, Rachel had also recently gone through a divorce, leaving her in a tight financial situation. She struggled to save any money as it seemed to immediately leave her bank account for various expenses. "Having been on my own, I didn't have any savings. I had nothing to spare," she says. "It was distressing, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to give my parents the farewell they deserved."
Unfortunately, the cost of funerals in the UK is on the rise, with the average cost of a basic funeral reaching £4,141, according to a recent report. This increase, along with inflation, has made funerals 126% more expensive over the last 20 years, leaving many struggling to afford them.
The report also revealed that 44% of people said that the cost of living crisis affected how they paid for their loved ones' funerals, and 24% said that it had a negative impact on their own standard of living. This issue is particularly severe for those who are already living in poverty, such as the families supported by Pastor Mick Fleming.
Pastor Fleming, the founder of Burnley charity Church on The Street, has seen firsthand the devastating effects of poverty on younger people's lives, leading to issues like suicide and poor health. He has also witnessed pensioner parents, who don't qualify for funeral grants, struggling to afford a funeral for their children.
"People are now too poor to die," Pastor Fleming states bluntly. "If families can barely afford food on a daily basis, how are they supposed to come up with over £4,000 for a funeral? It's impossible. We're seeing more and more Go Fund Me pages for funerals, and I've known people who have gotten into high-interest debt because they had to borrow money to make ends meet. And now, they have no other choice but to turn to less reputable lenders to pay for a funeral. It's a vicious cycle."
He also mentions that families are falling out because one person has paid for the funeral while others simply can't afford it. "If you can't afford a funeral for your loved one, you're left with some pretty inhumane options," he adds. "Funeral grants from the DWP are rare, and even if you do qualify, it can take months to receive the funds. Hospitals won't keep a body for more than 21 days, and undertakers require half of their fee upfront, which adds up to about £800. If you don't have that money and can't pick up the body in time, the hospital will cremate it and scatter the ashes, sometimes miles away from where the family lives."
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