Thistle Ceremonies SCIO was initially thought up by the founding members of Thistle Ceremonies Trading Ltd. The organisation was created to provide Humanist ceremonies for those who not only wanted a different kind of ceremony for all of life's occassions, but also wanted to give something back to society.
All profits from Thistle Ceremonies Trading Ltd are given direct to our charity so we can help fight funeral poverty and raise awareness, with the hope that in the future we will be able to help eradicate this life changing issue in Scotland.
If you feel that you are affected by funeral poverty, please feel free to contact us.
A family member has died. The family is in a state of grief, shock, despair and a myriad of other emotions that involves the loss of a loved one.
In the midst of trying to come to terms with their loss, a process which by any standards is a protracted one, the family is faced with organising a funeral.
Whatever the finances of the person organising the funeral, it is something that cannot be shelved and which has to be done within a very short timescale. People don’t shop around for funerals, it’s not like buying something online or in a shop, where you look at various outlets, weigh up the options and take your time making a purchase. For most people, they might look at a couple of local Funeral Directors and often, do not take into consideration the cost of what they are booking.
Inherent in arranging a funeral is a range of emotions, and it is often the case that people will over extend their finances to give their loved ones what they consider ‘a good send off.’ Sometimes though, for people on benefits, and for the working poor, it is extremely difficult to know where to start to get any financial help.
The Scottish Government has a Funeral Support Payment which usually will not cover the full cost of the funeral but should help pay for some costs. It can be either paid to whoever is arranging the funeral or directly to the funeral director who is helping you plan the funeral.
So perhaps the family is in receipt of some of the benefits that make them eligible for a grant. As the grant does not cover the full cost of the funeral, the family may have to make difficult choices concerning the cremation or burial of a loved one and the need for a ceremony which will do justice to the life of the departed.
Very often funeral costs can escalate to up to three or four thousand, which is much higher than the family will receive from a grant. When you factor in cremation or burial costs, costs of a funeral service, travel, and transport costs (for the deceased), the costs can be prohibitive.
Thistle Ceremonies SCIO aim to help families on benefits to plug the gap between the grant and the actual costs of a funeral. Sometimes this may involve donating a free funeral ceremony, or helping with transport costs or even towards the actual cremation or burial costs of a funeral.
Thistle Ceremonies SCIO will work with Funeral Directors and local government bodies to help identify families who are suffering from funeral poverty.
“Helping others in their times of need is the best gift to humanity.” -Trisha Kapoor.
These are the organisations we are working with to help tackle funeral poverty in Scotland.
