Support and advice

Losing someone is never easy. What follows shouldn’t feel overwhelming. These videos offer gentle guidance, honest advice and real experiences to help you move forward.

Why Local Knowledge Matters When Planning a Funeral

By Ross Hickton, President, SAIFPlanning a funeral involves far more than paperwork and a date. It draws on customs, venues, faith traditions and small practical details that vary from one community to the next. This is where a local funeral director quietly makes a difference, in ways families often do not notice until they see it.This guide explains why local knowledge matters so much when planning a funeral, and how a director who understands your community can ease both the practical and the emotional side. The value is not sentimental. It is real, useful and often the reason a difficult day runs smoothly.

5 min read

What Makes Independent Funeral Directors Different

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFWhen you are choosing who will care for your loved one, you may notice that some firms are described as independent and others are part of larger groups. The difference is easy to miss, yet it can shape the whole experience. Understanding what makes an independent funeral director in the UK different helps you choose with confidence.This guide explains what independence actually means, how it affects the service you receive, and why it matters at such a tender time. It is not about saying one type is always right for everyone. It is about giving you the information to decide what suits your family.

5 min read

The Next Steps Once You Have Chosen a Funeral Director

By the SAIF Editorial TeamChoosing a funeral director is a big step, and once it is made many families are unsure what happens next. Knowing the next steps after choosing a funeral director can settle a good deal of anxiety, because the path ahead is more orderly and more supported than it first appears.This guide walks through what to expect once you have chosen your funeral director, from the first conversation to the day of the funeral and beyond. At every stage your director does much of the work and guides you gently, so you are never left to manage it alone.

5 min read

How to Know You’ve Found the Right Funeral Director

By Ross Hickton, President, SAIFWhen you are grieving, it is hard to feel sure about any decision, including the choice of who will care for your loved one. Many families quietly wonder whether they have picked well. Recognising the signs of the right funeral director can replace that doubt with a steadier sense of confidence.This guide describes what a good choice feels like in practice, the qualities that matter most, and a simple way to reassure yourself. It is written to help you trust a decision you may have made under pressure, and to know what to look for if you are still choosing.

5 min read

How to Find a Funeral Director You Can Trust Near You

By Ross Hickton, President, SAIFChoosing who will care for someone you love is one of the most important decisions you will make after a death, and often one you have never had to make before. Knowing how to find a funeral director you can trust can bring real reassurance at a time when trust feels hard to give.This guide explains what to look for, the questions worth asking, and the signs of a funeral director who will treat your family and your loved one with genuine care. There is no need to rush the choice, and taking a little time to find the right person is time well spent.

5 min read

How SAIF Funeral Directors Are Vetted, and Why It Matters

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFMost people assume that anyone caring for the deceased must have passed strict checks. In fact, there is no single mandatory licence that every funeral director in the UK must hold. That is exactly why SAIF accreditation, and the vetting behind it, matters so much to families placing their trust in a firm.This guide explains how SAIF funeral directors are vetted, what the standards involve, and how that process protects you. It focuses on the mechanics of vetting and regulation, so you can understand what accreditation actually checks and why it gives families real reassurance.

5 min read

What to Do When Family Disagree on Funeral Arrangements

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFGrief can bring families closer, but it can also expose old tensions and differences. A family disagreement about a funeral is more common than people admit, and it can add a layer of pain at an already difficult time. If you are caught in one, please be reassured that it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with your family.This guide looks at why these disagreements happen, how to work through them with as little hurt as possible, and who holds the final say when agreement cannot be reached. The aim is to help you protect both the farewell and the relationships that will matter long after it.

6 min read

What to Do in the First Hours If Someone Dies at Home

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFWhen a loved one dies at home, the moments that follow can feel disorientating and frightening. You may not know who to call, what is allowed or what happens next. Knowing what to do if someone dies at home, even in simple terms, can bring a little steadiness to a very difficult time.This guide walks through the first practical steps calmly and clearly. It covers who to contact, what a doctor needs to do and how a funeral director can help you from the very first phone call. There’s no need to rush any of it, and you don’t have to manage it alone.

6 min read

What to Do When You Feel Overwhelmed Arranging a Funeral

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFBeing asked to make dozens of decisions while grieving is a great deal for anyone to carry. If you feel overwhelmed arranging a funeral, unable to think clearly or to know where to start, please understand that this is a very normal response to an abnormal situation. It’s not a weakness, and you don’t have to push through it alone.This guide offers gentle, practical ways to ease the pressure. It looks at why funeral planning can feel so heavy, how to reduce the number of decisions on your shoulders, and where to turn when it all feels like too much. The single most important thing to know is that help is available at every step.

6 min read

What to Do If You Can’t Afford a Funeral

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFWorrying about money on top of grief is one of the hardest positions a family can be in. If you can't afford a funeral, please know that you are not alone and that you have more options than you might expect. Funeral poverty is a real issue in the UK, and there is help designed for exactly this situation.This guide explains the choices available, from government support to lower cost funerals and the duty local councils hold. It’s written to give you clear information so you can make the decision that’s right for you. It’s not financial advice, and eligibility rules can change, so treat this as a starting point and check the current details for your circumstances.

6 min read

How to Plan a Simple but Meaningful Funeral

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFMany families today want to keep things simple when someone dies, and worry that simple might mean cold or unloving. It doesn’t. A simple but meaningful funeral can be every bit as moving as a large one, and for many people it feels truer to the person they are saying goodbye to.This guide is for anyone who wants a pared back farewell that still carries real feeling. It looks at what gives a funeral its meaning, practical simple funeral ideas, and how to have a simple funeral without losing the personal touches that matter most. Simplicity, done with care, is its own kind of beauty.

5 min read

The Steps to Take When Someone Dies in Hospital

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFWhen someone dies in hospital, much of what happens in the first hours is handled by the staff caring for them. That can be a relief, yet it can also leave families unsure of their own role and what to do next. Understanding what to do when someone dies in hospital helps you feel a little more grounded at a painful time.This guide explains the steps that follow a death in hospital, from the role of the bereavement office to the paperwork you will receive and when to contact a funeral director. Everything here can be taken at a gentle pace, and hospital staff are there to guide you through it.

6 min read

What Does Choosing a SAIF Funeral Director Mean for Your Family?

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFWhen you’re arranging a funeral, you are placing one of the most precious responsibilities of your life in someone else's hands. You want to know that the person caring for your loved one is trustworthy, properly trained and accountable. That is where accreditation comes in, and why choosing a SAIF local funeral director gives so many families peace of mind.This guide explains what SAIF accreditation actually means, what those standards involve and how they protect you. The aim is to help you understand what to look for, so you can choose with confidence at a time when confidence is exactly what you need.

8 min read

The Support You Should Expect in the Weeks After a Funeral

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFFor many people the hardest part of losing someone isn’t the funeral itself. It’s the quiet that follows, once the visitors have gone home and ordinary life is expected to resume. Knowing what support after a funeral is available, and that you are entitled to ask for it, can make those weeks a little easier to carry. This guide explains the kinds of help you can expect once the funeral is over. It covers practical support, emotional support, and where to turn when you need someone to talk to. The aim is to show that you do not have to manage alone, and that asking for help is both normal and wise.

6 min read

Understanding the Role a Funeral Plays in the Grieving Process

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFGrief doesn’t follow a neat path and there is no timetable that everyone moves along. What many people find though is that a funeral can offer a steadying point early in the grieving process. This is a moment that helps them begin to face a loss rather than be overwhelmed by it. This guide explains the role a funeral can play in how we grieve. It looks at what a funeral offers emotionally, why ritual seems to help and how to think about a farewell when someone you love has died. It is written with care, because grief is personal and no two people experience it in quite the same way.

6 min read

Did We Do the Right Thing? Understanding and Easing Funeral Regrets

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFAfter a funeral is over, many people are caught off guard by a quiet, nagging question. Did we do the right thing? It can surface in the days or weeks that follow, long after the decisions were made, and it can be surprisingly painful. This guide looks honestly at common funeral regrets, why they happen and how to settle them. It also offers practical ways to make decisions you can feel at peace with, whether you are arranging a funeral now or supporting someone who is.

6 min read

Why There Is Rarely a Reason to Rush Funeral Decisions

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFWhen someone dies, everything can feel urgent. The phone calls, the paperwork and the sense that arrangements must be made at once can sweep a grieving family along at speed. Yet rushing funeral decisions is one of the most common sources of later regret, and most of that urgency isn’t real. This guide explains why the pressure to act quickly arises, why it so often leads to regret, and which decisions genuinely have a deadline. The aim is to help you tell the difference between what truly cannot wait and what simply feels as though it cannot, so you can move at a pace that protects you.

6 min read

Why a Funeral Still Matters More Than We Often Realise

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIFMore people than ever are drawn to the idea of keeping things simple when someone dies. A quiet cremation, no fuss, nothing elaborate. There is real wisdom in that instinct, yet it’s worth understanding why funerals matter before deciding what shape a farewell should take. This guide looks at the quiet work a funeral does, both for the people who gather and for those left to grieve. It isn’t an argument for spending more or for grand occasions. It’s a calm look at the purpose of a funeral, so that whatever you choose, you choose it knowing what it offers.

6 min read

Coming to Terms With Grief When You Choose Direct Cremation

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIF Direct cremation has become a choice that many families make with real conviction. It can be simpler, calmer and less costly than a traditional funeral. What surprises some people is the wave of feeling that arrives afterwards, and the way grief and direct cremation can sit together in unexpected ways. This guide is for anyone who has chosen, or is considering, a cremation without a service and wants to understand the emotional side of that decision. It looks honestly at why those feelings arise, what the emotional impact of cremation can be and the gentle ways families find comfort and closure on their own terms.

7 min read

What Families Wish They’d Known: Honest Advice on Arranging a Funeral

By Terry Tennens, Chief Executive, SAIF Most people arrange a funeral only once or twice in their lifetime. They do it while grieving, often with little warning, and usually with no idea of what the process actually involves. That mix of inexperience and heartache is why so many families later say they wish someone had explained things sooner. This guide brings together the advice on arranging a funeral that families tell us would have helped them most. It covers the decisions that feel urgent but are not, the questions worth asking early and the small things that bring real comfort later. The aim is simple. You should feel calmer and more in control, whether you’re arranging a funeral now or thinking ahead.

7 min read

Local funeral director vs national provider: an honest comparison

By Terry Tennens, CEO, SAIF When a family begins looking for funeral services online, they will encounter two very different kinds of providers. On one side are local, independent funeral directors, rooted in their communities and often family-run. On the other are national online cremation providers who advertise heavily and have grown significantly in recent years. Both exist to serve families at a difficult time. But the service they offer, the experience they provide and the way they operate are meaningfully different. This guide sets out those differences honestly, so families can make an informed decision before it matters most.

7 min read

Direct cremation vs a traditional funeral: what is the difference?

By Terry Tennens, CEO, SAIF The choice between a direct cremation and a traditional funeral is one that many families are thinking through for the first time when it matters most. Understanding what each actually involves, not just the headline differences, can make that decision feel less overwhelming and more genuinely considered. This guide explains both options honestly. Neither is presented as the right answer, because the right answer is different for every family.

7 min read

Attended vs unattended cremation: what is right for you?

By Ross Hickton, Past President, SAIF One of the most common questions families ask when considering direct cremation is whether anyone can be present at the time. The answer depends on the option they choose. Understanding the difference between attended and unattended cremation helps families make a more informed decision, one they will feel at peace with rather than uncertain about afterwards. This guide explains both options clearly, without steering you toward either. The right choice is the one that genuinely fits your family.

6 min read

A simple guide to making funeral decisions without regret

Of all the decisions families make in the days following a bereavement, the ones around the funeral are among the most lasting. Unlike most decisions, these can’t be undone. And yet they are made at the worst possible time, under pressure, in grief, often without the full information needed to make them well.This guide is about slowing that process down. Not to delay it unnecessarily, but to help you make choices you will feel at peace with. And this isn’t just in the immediate days after a death, but in the months and years that follow.

8 min read

Questions to ask before choosing a funeral provider

By Ross Hickton, past President, SAIFChoosing a funeral provider is one of the most important decisions a family makes, often at one of the most difficult moments of their lives. Most people have never done it before. Many feel uncertain about what they should be asking or whether it is even appropriate to ask questions at all.The truthful answer is that it isn’t only appropriate, it is important. The right questions will help you find a provider who will care for your family with the professionalism and compassion the moment deserves. This guide gives you the questions worth asking and what the answers should tell you.

8 min read

Your options explained: there is more than one way to say goodbye

By Ross Hickton, Past President, SAIFWhen a loved one dies, most people assume they know what a funeral looks like. A service at the crematorium or a church, a hearse, a gathering afterwards. What many families don’t realise is that there are many different ways to mark a life, and just how much has changed in what is considered appropriate, meaningful and possible.This guide opens up that conversation. It’s intent isn’t to steer you toward any particular choice, but rather to make sure that whatever you decide, you are making that choice with the full picture in front of you.

8 min read

What is direct cremation? Everything families need to know

By Terry Tennens, CEO, SAIFDirect cremation is one of the most searched funeral-related topics in the UK, and one of the most misunderstood. If you are trying to understand what it is, whether it is right for your family, or simply want honest information before making a decision, this guide is for you.We will cover everything: what direct cremation actually involves, what it does not include and the questions families most commonly ask, including some difficult ones, and how to make sure that if you choose it, you choose it well.

11 min read

How to choose the right funeral director for your family

By Ross Hickton, President, SAIF 2025-2026Choosing a funeral director is not a decision most people have thought about before. When the moment arrives, it often comes quickly and at a time when clear thinking isn’t easy. This guide will help you make a confident, unhurried choice, one that feels right for you and your family.The funeral director you choose will be guiding you through one of the most significant experiences of your life. Getting that choice right matters. This isn’t just in a practical sense, but emotionally too, and in how you carry this time with you afterwards

8 min read

What to do when someone dies: a calm, step-by-step guide

By Terry Tennens, CEO, SAIFThe moment someone dies, time feels both urgent and suspended. You are being asked to make practical decisions at the very moment when everything inside you wants to stop. This guide is here to help you. Not to rush you, but rather to give you a clear and calm path through the hours and days that follow.There is no single right way to do any of this. However, knowing what needs to happen, and roughly when, can make the weight of it feel a little more manageable.

9 min read

Finding your way: a guide to choosing a funeral director

Losing someone you love is one of life's most disorienting experiences. In the midst of grief, you may find yourself making decisions you've never faced before. This guide is here to gently walk you through one of the most important: choosing who will care for your loved one.

4 min read