Q: Are coffins claimed back and used again?
A: No. Although some funeral directors are now following the American trend of offering a casket for hire which is purely for viewing the deceased. A standard coffin of choice will be used on the day of the funeral.

Q: Are the handles and exterior fittings removed from a coffin after burial or prior to cremation?
A: No. All fittings remain in place at all stages of the funeral proceedings. The only exception to this would be at the request of crematorium staff if for example metal handles had been fitted to a coffin intended for cremation.

Q: Are items of jewellery or valuables removed from the deceased even if family wishes state they are to be left in place?
A: No. This is theft, unfortunately there have been reports of cases where funeral staff have done this but they have been subsequently prosecuted.

Q: How many bodies are cremated at any one time?
A: Cremators are built to only allow one adult sized coffin to be cremated at a time. Crematoriums usually have four seperate cremators. Some crematorium staff allow visitors by appointment to view the premises.

Q: Do undertakers force the body of the deceased into their coffin?
A: Absolutely not. Coffins are made to measure and any act of this kind would be truly unacceptable to everyone concerned.

Q: Do undertakers really care about their customers or are they "hardened to it?"
A: The majority of funeral staff do genuinely care about the customer and deceased alike, most take a great deal of pride in their work.

Q: Why was the deceased removed on a stretcher wrapped in plastic?
A: The removal stretcher is similar to those used by mountain rescue teams. Used also because of their lightweight construction and ease of handling. The plastic sheeting is used for hygenic reasons and containment.

Q: Where is the deceased now?
A: Commonly, if the deceased died whilst in Hospital he or she would be transferred to the Hospital mortuary until such time as been arranged for collection by the undertaker, that is, once all relevant paperwork had been completed. If the deceased had been removed from a house or Nursing establishment they would generally be kept in a "cold" room or mortuary style refridgeration units until arrangements had been made with the next of kin.

Q: What is hygenic treatment/embalming?
A: This is not the ancient egyptian "mummifying" process as some people assume. Embalming is a process used to ensure the preservation of the deceased until the day of the funeral. It is only carried out by professionally qualified persons and in specially equipped theatres, it involves transferring an arterial fluid such as formaldehyde (formalin) into the body, it is for sanitation, hygiene and presentation purposes of the deceased particularly where family or friends may visit the chapel of rest to pay their last respects.

Q: Why do funeral vehicles drive so slowly?
A: Simply out of respect for the deceased and to keep the cortege together. They are not "slow" vehicles as they are constructed from modern vehicles and components they have large capacity engines capable of high speeds just like other cars. A trip to a conversion factory is very interesting.

Q: Can I arrange and pay for my funeral before I die?
A: Yes, many companies offer this service subject to administration fees. Funeral costs have doubled in the last ten years and you will save money doing this. Your money is usually placed in a trust type fund and many funeral directors regard this as a way of securing their future business. Shop around as there has been some adverse publicity surrounding this recently.