Arranging a funeral

We are a family owned, independent company who have been caring for the Teesside community for over 50 years.  Our dedicated and compassionate team have over 350 years collective experience of supporting bereaved families by helping to arrange and create funerals that are meaningful, personal and which honour and pay tribute to their loved one. 

Just as each life is different, each funeral is different – we are here to offer our help and advice about the options available to you and to work in accordance with your wishes and to your budget.  We are open and transparent about our charges and offer flexible payment options – you can find out more on the “Funeral Pricing” page.

First steps 

We recommend that you contact us by telephone initially.  Our staff will ask for a few preliminary details such as the full name and address of the person who has died and the address where death occurred.   If your loved one has died at home and their death has been verified by an attending doctor, we can make arrangements to bring them to our funeral home and into our care.  In certain circumstances, for example if the death has been sudden or unexpected (for example where the doctor has not seen the person who has died in the previous 14 days), the death may be reported to the Coroner and a post-mortem may be requested.   This may mean that your loved one may need to be moved to a local hospital rather than directly to our funeral home.   We will be able to provide further advice in this regard when we speak with you. 

Once initial contact has been made with our office, we can then arrange for a mutually convenient date and time for one of our funeral directors to speak with you.  Arrangements can be made in your family home, at our premises or over the telephone (or by video call if you prefer), whichever is more convenient or suitable for yourself and your family.   Your funeral director will be able to give you further help and advice regarding how to register the death, information about coroner’s procedures (if appropriate) and further information on the procedures involved where death has occurred in hospital.   

Who is entitled to make funeral arrangements? 

We are often asked about where the responsibility for making funeral arrangements lies.  Families can often be complex and diverse and when the person who has died has not made a will or left any specific instructions, there can be natural and very understandable concerns about who is going to take responsibility for the arrangements and any associated funeral costs.   

If you are the next of kin of the person who has died, (for example the husband, wife or civil partner of the person who has died), then you are most likely the right person to make the funeral arrangements. Similarly, if you are the child of the person who has died, you are able to proceed (providing all other children have agreed to you doing so).   However, if there is a chance that someone might object to you arranging the funeral, you should ensure that you are entitled to do so, before proceeding to make the arrangements.   

The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) has produced a useful leaflet called “Who is entitled to make funeral arrangements” which can offer some guidance and help – you can download a copy of this here.