Planning a Funeral

Our family here at B. Jenkins are here to guide you through preparing for your loved ones service. We offer support in all areas and have created a step by step guide with useful information , including legal practise as well as ideas to help you in saying your goodbyes.


The first few days after death.

You will need to inform a number of people and complete certain documents required by law. If you are a relative or friend you can do some of these things yourself, but others will need to be done by the executor or the administrator of the estate.

Some of the first steps include:

  • Contacting ourselves at B Jenkins. You will need to tell us the full name of the deceased the address of where your loved one passed away and the Next of Kin details. You will also need to know whether the deceased has been seen by their doctor in the last 14 days. (Otherwise they will need to be removed by the Coroner.)
  • Obtaining a medical certificate of cause of death, signed by a doctor. If the Coroner is involved, the Coroners office will advise you on where and when to register the death.
  • Registering the death at the Register Office.
  • Completing form BD8 (Given by the Registrar when you register the death) and sending to the local job centre plus or benefits agency.
  • Beginning arrangements for the funeral – if your loved one made a will, you should check if there are any special requests. You can call B Jenkins to make an appointment with on of our Funeral arrangers, or call into the Cottage in our opening hours.
  • Contact the executor as soon as you can to enable him/her to start the process of obtaining probate if necessary. ( The executor is usually nominated in the will. If there is no will, decide who will apply to sort out the deceased’s affairs and contact the Probate Registry.)

Arranging a Funeral

During your meeting with one of our Funeral Arrangers, you will organise the right service for your loved one. Above all, we will arrange a funeral which reflects the wishes of your family, ensuring a clear, smooth process along the way.

Key decision that will be made at the funeral arrangement meeting are listed below. We are here to help you with all of these:

  • Where the body should rest before the funeral.
  • Time and Place of the funeral (although this can only be finalised once the order for the burial/cremation has been issued.)
  • Type of Service (Religious, Civil or Humanist) and who will conduct it.
  • How much to spend on the Funeral.
  • Whether to have flowers or to instead donate money to a chosen charity.
  • Where to donate flowers after the funeral.
  • Sending out Invitations.
  • Placing a notice in the newspaper.

The Funeral Service / Order of Service

Following the arrangement meeting, your designated conductor (whether it be a religious minister or celebrant) shall contact you to arrange a further meeting. They will discuss with you the Order of Service, Content and Life History. If you should like a printed order of Service (Leaflet with the service information) then you need to send this over to either B Jenkins printing supplier, or your own chosen one.

We adhere to make everything as smooth-sailing as possible for your family, on the day of the service there is no need for you to worry, between ourselves and the conductor of the service, we endeavour to ensure the funeral service is as you wished, personalised and suited to yours and your loved ones needs. Between your meetings and the service, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. We are for you, just as much as we are here to serve your loved one.

After the Funeral

Once the funeral is over, you may wish to consider arranging a lasting memorial or acknowledging people for the support you have received, plus if your loved one is being cremated, you will need to make arrangements for the cremated remains. We are also here to help and support you, should you ever need further advice. If you would like our help and support at any time, please don’t hesitate to contact us. If you would like to leave feedback on the service you received here at B.Jenkins & Sons you are more than welcome to do so here.