Funeral Services in Weston-Super-Mare and Burnham-on-Sea to Meet Your Needs
At AJ Lock Caring Funerals, we offer a wide range of services to meet your wishes. Please read on to find out more about how we can help you.
At AJ Lock Caring Funerals, we will:
- Have an open and honest relationship with all those involved.
- Take the changing needs of funerals into account.
- Keep costs within your budget.
- Pride ourselves in our sensitive arrangements.
- Make the process as stress-free as possible whilst adhering to your wishes.
- Achieve the highest standards.
- With our dedicated team and extensive knowledge, help you make informed choices to suit your requirements.
- Offer state of the art, newly refurbished premises.
- Transport your loved one and family using our luxury vehicles.
- Keep in regular contact with our clients.
- Support and guide you through every process.
- We are also able to offer home arrangements at a time convenient to you and your relatives.
Just some of the things we can do for you:
- Organise the wake.
- Take care of donations on your behalf.
- Arrange floral tributes.
- Help design and order the orders of services.
- Place obituaries in the local paper.
- Book of condolence.
- Church services.
- For burials, we can order and arrange headstones and inscriptions.
- Recommend a minister, civil celebrant, humanist or any other religious ceremony.
- Arrange alternative transport: i.e. horse drawn hearse, motorcycle or any other vehicle where possible.
- Short-term care of cremated remains.
- Organise internment or scattering of cremated remains.
- Promise to bring your loved one into our care within the hour, once the relevant paperwork has been done by the doctor.
- Home arrangements.
- Pre-paid funeral plans available.
Making Funeral Arrangements
Consider the following when making funeral arrangements:
- Will it be cremation or burial?
- Where will the funeral take place?
- Who would you like to lead the funeral?
- Will the funeral be religious or non-religious?
- How would you like to personalise the funeral?
Letting friends and family know when a loved one passes away:
Deciding how to tell people the news can be an upsetting experience. Try to keep the news as simple as possible, whether you communicate it over the phone or in person.
Obituary
Obituaries are placed in local newspapers and often include charity information and how people can donate in the name of your loved one.
Online: Funeral Notices.
Our new Funeral Notice service will allow people to leave a donation online via Just Giving. Family and friends of the deceased can donate money and leave personal messages of condolences.
Who you will need to notify about the death:
When a loved one passes away, you will need to notify various organisations about the death as soon as possible.
Who to inform first:
- The person’s GP
- Relatives and friends
- The funeral director
- Register office
- Employer/school
- Health professionals – you may need to cancel any outstanding hospital appointments
Property & bills:
- Mortgage provider or landlord
- Utility companies (electricity, gas and water)
- Buildings and contents insurance provider
- Mobile phone provider
- Broadband
- TV companies
Government:
- HM revenue and Customs for tax purposes
- Pension providers
- Passport agency
- DVLA if the deceased held a driving license
- Local council for council tax and Electoral Register
Financial:
- Bank and building societies
- Insurance companies (life, car and travel)
- Credit card providers
- Solicitor
- Accountant
Bereavement support after someone dies
Coping with your grief can be a long and difficult process. Here are a few organisations that offer bereavement support:
- Cruse Bereavement Care (England and Wales)
- Cruse Bereavement Care (Scotland)
- Samaritans
- Citizens Advice
- Child Bereavement UK
- Victim Support
- The Miscarriage Association
Choosing a Hearse
What is a hearse?
A hearse is the vehicle which brings a coffin or casket form the funeral home to the service to the cemetery or crematorium.
Our hearses and cars
One of our chauffeur-driven hearses or cars can be provided for conveyance; we can accommodate your requests.
How much does a hearse cost?
The cost is dependant on your needs. In any case, any funeral will include a motorised hearse. Special requests may incur additional costs.
Our funerals are tailored to you and your loved one, so please ask AJ Lock Caring Funerals for more information regarding funeral vehicle costs.
The funeral procession
During a traditional funeral procession, the hearse will take the coffin to the funeral service and is often followed by our cars or private cars carrying chief mourners.
It is also possible to arrange a particular route you want the funeral cortege to take.
Final considerations
When finalising the plans for your funeral transportation, there are a few final questions you must answer:
- Who will be travelling in the official cortege?
- Will the funeral procession begin at a specific address or at the funeral home?
- Are any of the chief mourners disabled and do they require adapted transport?
Alternative hearses
If you wish to make your loved one’s final journey even more personal, choosing a hearse or alternative mode of transport which celebrates their life can be a fitting tribute.
Whether it’s a fire engine, motorcycle, campervan or horse-drawn hearse, our funeral directors will be on hand to ensure your unique arrangements are met for a special commemoration.
Choosing a Coffin, Casket or Urn
Choosing a coffin, casket or urn for your loved one can often help with the bereavement process and is an important part of your funeral arrangements.
We understand that deciding on a final resting place for a loved one can be very distressing for some people. At AJ Lock, our caring funeral professionals will be on hand to support and guide you through all of your available options.
What is the difference between a coffin and a casket?
The main difference between a coffin and a casket is in the design. Coffins are tapered at the head and foot, wide at the shoulders and often have six sides.
In comparison, caskets are rectangular in shape with four sides. They are often constructed of higher quality materials with a hinged lid.
Traditional funeral coffins
We offer a variety of colours and materials, so you can find a suitable traditional or classic coffin. If caring for the environment is a consideration for you, we can help provide a coffin that is high-quality while reducing environmental impact.
The majority of our coffins are British made by a local company in Gloucester and are crafted to an extremely high standard.
Our casket collection
Everyone has different needs, and we will provide the guidance you need to select a casket. We offer other options in our casket collection.
Eco coffins
AJ Lock takes the responsibility of managing global resources seriously and endeavours to source products ethically and with consideration to the environment.
Ashes, urns and caskets
In the case of a cremation, you will need to select a final resting place for the ashes. Options include keeping them in an urn, scattering them or burying them. Should you choose an urn, we have a selection of urns for you to choose from.
Placing personal items in a coffin or casket
Should you choose to place personal items in a coffin or casket, one of our caring team members can help you make the arrangements. Please keep in mind that there are some restrictions with burial and cremation funerals, so please speak to our staff to discuss all of your available options.
Flowers & Music
Funeral flower arrangements
Funeral flowers can help you express your love for a deceased friend or family member and can help with the grieving process.
We can help you explore all of your options; some examples include:
- Funeral wreaths
- Floral arrangements
- Coffin sprays
- Casket sprays
- Inside pieces
It can be difficult to find the words to express how you feel when a loved one has passed. When you’re writing a note that accompanies flowers, consider some of the following words of remembrance include:
- Gone but never forgotten
- You will be sorely missed
- In loving memory
- Always in my heart
- Treasured memories
- Forever in our thoughts
- May you rest in peace
This can be a difficult process, so don’t be afraid to keep it simple.
Where to send funeral flowers and floral tributes
We can help you arrange delivery of your flowers to the funeral home, place of burial or place of cremation. Please provide us with the information of your local florist so we can help make arrangements.
Popular songs for funerals
You may choose to commemorate your loved one with a song that reflects their life. Some may choose contemporary songs or an uplifting song. The choice is yours and your family’s. Some of the most popular songs for funerals include:
- My Way – Frank Sinatra
- Angels – Robbie Williams
- Simply the Best – Tina Turner
- Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
- Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Eric Idle (Monty Python’s ‘Life of Brian’)
- Time to Say Goodbye – Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli
- You’ll Never Walk Alone – Gerry and the Pacemakers
Popular hymns for funerals
Some of the most popular hymns for funerals include:
- The Lord Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23)
- Abide with Me
- All Things Bright and Beautiful
- Amazing Grace
- How Great Thou Art
- Jerusalem
- Old Rugged Cross
Popular classical music for funerals
Classical music is often used in funerals. Some of the most popular classical music for funerals includes:
- Canon in D – Pachelbel
- Nimrod from Enigma Variations – Elgar
- The Four Seasons – Vivaldi
Planning a Wake
What is a wake?
A wake is usually a less formal ceremony that happens after the official ceremony. If you would like to celebrate the life of your loved one with a wake, we can help book the venue, organise catering and make sure the venue is ready for your return. Or, you can organise the wake yourself.
Who to invite to a wake
Consider who should be invited when you arrange a wake and remember it can be a public or private event. Guests who couldn’t attend the funeral service can choose to attend the wake. You may want to announce the funeral and wake in your local newspaper. Our Funeral Notices service is a simple and convenient way to share details of the wake with family and friends, via email, Facebook and Twitter.
Where to hold a wake
Select a wake venue depending on the number of guests attending. Some common wake venues include:
- Your own home
- Family home
- Church halls
- Pubs
- Social clubs
- Sports clubs
- Hotels
Some popular venues in this area are:
- The Manor
- The Nut Tree
- The Woolpack
- The Royal British Legion
- Golf Club
Guests should be notified the time and location of the venue of the wake, and you may want to add flowers and photographs beforehand.
Food and drink
Food is often served at wakes, and some people choose to serve their loved one’s favourite food and drink. The venue will most likely accommodate your request, and catering may be included in the booking cost. Be sure to ask the venue to be sure. If they do not include catering, you may want to bring your own food or request that guests bring a dish to share.
How much does a wake cost?
Every service is different, so the cost varies. If cost is an issue, we might suggest hosting the wake at home and making the food yourself or holding a smaller wake for just family members and close friends.
How to ask for funeral charity donations.
When selecting a charity for people to donate to, be sure to consider any charities that were valued by the person who has passed away. We can help make arrangements so that money can be sent to your charity of choice.
Funeral donation box
A funeral donation box may make donations easier for your guests. If you choose this, we can help with the arrangements; we will either give you the donations before the wake or send them to the charity of your choice four to six weeks after the funeral, allowing for further donations to be made. We also ask for the charity to send you a letter of acknowledgement, confirming that they have received the funeral donations.