For some people, getting things in order, such a writing a will or arranging the funeral, can be important. If this is important for you, we can help.
Our funeral arrangers will go through all your wishes with you and keep them safe until they are needed. You don’t have to organise any of these things if you don’t want to.
For some people, getting things in order, such a writing a will or arranging the funeral, can be important. If this is important for you, we can help.
Our funeral arrangers will go through all your wishes with you and keep them safe until they are needed. You don’t have to organise any of these things if you don’t want to.
When you put funeral arrangements in place and are terminally ill, the Co-op will guarantee the price we give you for 12 months, even if our prices rise. When the time comes to arrange the funeral, the person arranging it must bring the quote with them, then we’ll take care of everything. We call this our ‘quote guarantee’.
Talk to your local funeral director.
Talking about your will, legal affairs and your funeral while you're still alive can be difficult for your family and friends. But if having this all planned is important to you, it's worth having these conversations now. Knowing your wishes and what you want to happen when you die will make things easier for them when that time comes.
There are people that can support you with these conversations. It could be a medical professional, a Macmillan nurse, someone from a local hospice, a friend you trust or a bereavement counsellor.
You might have to try a few times before the people around you understand this is something you want to talk about. Let everyone know that you might need to take breaks from the conversation and that it's okay if they need to take some time too.
Our funeral arrangers are also trained to listen and support you and your family in making plans before you die.
Co-op Legal Services also have a "Check Your Affairs Are In Order" support tool, designed to help you take steps now to ease things for your loved ones later. In just 5-10 minutes, you'll answer a few questions and receive personalised suggestions to consider and act on, tailored to your situation.
Your funeral can be whatever you want it to be. It can be unique to you, traditional, religious, filled with personal touches, or a celebration of life. It can be a small funeral or a large funeral, even a combination of all these things. Some people choose a direct funeral which means there isn’t a service and lets family and friends come together in their own way to remember you. It can be whatever feels right for you.
If you’re not sure what’s right for you, talk to a funeral arranger in one of our funeral homes who will take you through everything. Or you could take ideas and inspiration from other funerals people have held.
You can plan as much or as little of your funeral as you feel able. You can do this with a Co-op funeral arranger on the phone or in person.
You don't have to do any of these things. You could just write down your wishes on a piece of paper or in an email and give it to the person you want to do the arrangements.
Here are some things you might want to think about planning:
Having a will in place is useful for your family and friends, it means they’ll know what you want to happen with your property, money and possessions when you die. If you have a will, make sure it is up to date and someone you trust knows where it is so they can find it.
If you don't have one but would like to arrange a will Co-op Legal Services could help you. Getting a will could be more straightforward than you think and expert advice from a regulated business.
Your will doesn’t have to just about property or money. It can also include any Guardian arrangements for children. And you could leave instructions on what you'd like to happen with things that mean a lot to you, such as memorabilia, books, jewellery or pets.
Co-op Legal Services is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). So you can have peace of mind that your will is written in a way that is recognised by the law.
If you need to appoint someone to make decisions about your health or legal position if you become unable to, you'll need to appoint someone as an lasting power of attorney (LPA). Co-op Legal Services can help to arrange an LPA. This is also something the government could help with. LPAs can take up to 14 weeks to be in place.
If you're worried about how family or friends might pay for your funeral, you can use our funeral cost calculator to get an idea of how much it might cost. If you are able to set money aside, make sure someone knows where to find it and how to access it.
If you're worried about the cost, speak to a funeral director about less expensive options. You don't need to spend a lot of money to have a meaningful funeral.
If you own a property in your own name or have more than £20,000 in the bank, it's likely probate will be needed. This is the legal process of looking after all your property, money and possessions after you die.
There’s more advice on probate on the government website and Co-op Legal Services' guide to probate. When you arrange a funeral with us, we can help you understand if you need probate. If you do, Co-op Legal Services can provide you with a fixed fee quote for carrying out this work.
If you're able and if it feels important, you could make sure useful documents, passwords or paperwork are in one place and let someone know where to find it.
This could be:
Co-op Legal Services have information and advice on other things you might need to consider.
You might want to consider registering for organ donation. If you do, make sure you let a family member or friend know about your wishes.
If you have accounts, email addresses or other digital accounts you'd like someone you trust to close down, make a list and include any passwords. If this isn't possible, find out more about how to deal with your digital legacy.