Personalised funerals all the rage among mourners

SCOTS are moving away from traditional funerals as requests for themed services, personalised coffins and unusual hearses such as milk floats become more common, undertakers have claimed.

A Buddhist hearse, among one of the more unusual requests received by Co-operative Funeralcare by mourners. Picture: Contributed

The report found that a fifth of people say they will ask mourners to wear colour rather than the traditional black.

Across the UK, special requests made to funeral directors include a ‘24-carat gold coffin laced in diamonds’, calls for ‘ashes to be made into fireworks’ and Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ played during the service.

David Collingwood, operations director for the Co-operative Funeralcare said: “It’s great that more and more people are wanting to personalise their funeral, making it a unique tribute to a unique life, but it’s important that people communicate these wishes to their loved ones to ensure that they are fulfilled as intended.

“The use of unusual hearses, from milk floats to Buddhist hearses and motorbikes, would have been rare in days gone by but traditional views are changing and modern funerals are very much about personal choice. We see a variety of requests for themed funerals, personalised coffins, creative floral tributes and alternative hearses.”

The Co-operative Funeralcare - which is this week holding a ‘unique tributes’ exhibition at the Royal Highland Show, where they’ll be showcasing some of their more unusual hearses - found that half of scots stated that they would like to be cremated as opposed to just one fifth who said that they would prefer to be buried.

And of these, one fifth have stipulated that they would like an eco-friendly coffin, four percent want a wicker coffin and an additional four per cent would like to personalise their coffin.