December 04, 2025 - 193 views
Old-fashioned attitudes towards conventional funeral ceremonies are driving mourning families to seek donations, a leading UK direct cremation provider claims.
Research by fundraising platform GoFundMe recently revealed that more bereaved families are turning to online fundraising to meet funeral costs, adding that refusals for Funeral Expenses Payments have risen by nearly 30% in three years.
Peter Shuttleworth, General Manager at Celebration of Life, says Victorian-era values surrounding costly funerals and limited state financial support are fuelling the thousands of memorial fundraisers started on GoFundMe each year.
He added: “There is still significant social pressure to hold elaborate funerals, even the though the cost can be ruinous for many loved ones and the fact that the UK has become less bound by tradition over the past few decades.
“Families and friends often feel guilty or ashamed they are not honouring the departed sufficiently due to the financial pressures so many of us are facing and may even put themselves into debt for a conventional funeral.
“Mourning and memories, not money, should be the priority for those going through heartache.”
The average funeral costs more than £4,000, according to a recent report by financial services company SunLife, but more and more Brits are turning to direct cremation – where the deceased is collected, cared for, and then cremated without a service or mourners present. Loved ones are then free to hold a heartfelt memorial, often at a venue with meaning to the departed, such as a beloved pub.
Peter said: “Many of our customers are surprised to discover there are cost-effective alternatives to traditional funerals that combine dignity with meaningful and personalised farewells.
“Traditional services have their place, but there certainly shouldn’t be any stigma to seeking out an alternative.”
More and more people are breaking away from tradition and opting for a direct cremation because it is cost-effective and crucially allows families to hold a personalised farewell event that is more tailored to the departed’s life and beliefs.
