How changes to the lockdown will impact on funerals in Leamington

Back in May, W G Rathbone and H J Dawson in Leamington wrote a piece for the Courier and Weekly News about how changes from Covid-19 has affected funerals. Here is an updated article from them about how things have changed with the easing of lockdown.

Advice on funerals by Debbie Leah (business manager, Dignity Funerals)

Shops, pubs and restaurants have been open for a few weeks now, showing that life in Leamington is getting back to some sense of normality.

Funerals have continued to go ahead throughout the lockdown period, even during the times when restrictions were at their tightest.

Yet with lockdown starting to relax, only one in ten people (12 per cent) are confident they know exactly what the current restrictions mean for organising a funeral.

It’s important that people who are organising a funeral know exactly what kind of service they can arrange for their loved one.

How funerals have changed

Over the past three months funeral directors have been continually adapting the service we offer to ensure we’re meeting changing government guidance, while still giving families a respectful funeral for their loved one.

The biggest change has been in the number of people who can attend. At the start of the lockdown most funerals were restricted to very small numbers of people. However, more and more crematoriums and other funeral venues have adapted their spaces to increase the number of people who can attend while maintaining social distancing. This means there is quite a lot of variation at a local level. Your funeral director will be able to advise you on what your options are, but at Oakley Wood Crematorium, 28 people can attend a service in the North Chapel and 12 people can attend a service in the South Chapel.

We are also still able to provide many of the most important elements of a funeral. Your loved one can be buried or cremated. We are able to arrange flowers and you can have readings, music and a hearse.

Getting to the funeral

We are really happy to say at W G Rathbone and H J Dawson in Leamington we are now able to provide a limousine service. To protect both our employees and our clients we have installed a perspex partition between the chauffeur and passengers to provide a safe environment. Each limousine is available for family members from the same household with a maximum of six people per vehicle.

We know how important this service is to many families, so we’ve worked quickly to adapt our limousines so that we can offer it again.

Religious venues are open again

One of the toughest challenges during the lockdown period has been that most religious venues have been closed. However, in recent weeks many religious venues have begun to reopen and The Church of England is once again allowing funerals in its churches.

Of course, due to social distancing rules, there may still be a limit of attendees as well as other restrictions, but you can rely on your funeral director to find out what they are for you.

New ways to participate in funerals

We have been thinking of other ways for people to participate in funerals in their own home. For example, sharing orders of service, readings and hymns with people who are unable to attend so that they know when, where and how the service will take place and can take a moment at home to remember the deceased.

Making arrangements

We have started seeing people face to face at some of our branches. However, we still encourage people to do as much as they can over the phone.

At W G Rathbone and H J Dawson funeral directors in Leamington we are able to see two family members at a time in branch, please ring ahead to make an appointment.

If you have questions you want to ask out of hours you can visit the Dignity website where we have a number of FAQs or call our 24 hour client service centre: 0800 456 1047

If you have been affected by Covid-19 or are self-isolating we have procedures that will allow us to arrange a funeral with you, but please call or email to contact us.

What the future holds

Funerals have changed a lot over the past few months and these changes aren’t over yet.

Relaxation of social distancing guidelines does not necessarily mean all businesses and industries will relax their regulations.

Safety is the top priority at W G Rathbone and H J Dawson, which is why the branch will continue to monitor rules around social distancing to make decisions based on what is best for the local community.

For the safety of our employees and the families we serve, funerals may not return to how we knew them before for a while.

However, funeral directors across Leamington will continue to work tirelessly to provide the best possible service for families, ensuring loved ones are given the respect they deserve.