A light-hearted send-off may not be everyone’s cup of tea but for a growing number of families in the north-east a less traditional funeral is quite literally the way to go.
From being driven to your funeral on the back of a skip lorry to having your granny’s ashes turned into fireworks and set to music, we discover some of the most unusual final requests made to north-east undertakers, and speak to the businesses helping make these wishes become a reality.
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When Annette McDonald of Gordon and Watson in Aberdeen was asked to co-ordinate the life celebration of a motorbike enthusiast she knew just what to do.
“Instead of coming in the traditional attire I arrived in full leathers and biker gear, and rode pillion with them.”
But that’s not the most unusual request the Dignity Funerals manager has had.
She was once asked if the owner of a skip-hire company could be taken on one last journey to his yard on the back of his lorry.
“People are changing their approach to funerals,” she added.
“Years ago you would dress the deceased in a shroud now it’s all their own clothes. It used to be very religious, that’s becoming less and less so. I’ve even danced down the aisle to Morecombe and Wise music, because that was the final request.
“Amidst all the traditional services most funeral directors will still offer, there’s room for something tailored to the wishes of the person being celebrated.”
Why would you not want to smile?
In fact for some funeral directors, the less conventional the better.
Scott Purvis is general manager of Go As You Please, the company behind a now infamous vinyl wrap, Irn Bru coffin that made global headlines.
He said: “Our business started when our founder lost his mum in his 20s. The funeral director came round and they ended up with very little choice and a whole heap of tradition. So we exist to change all of that.”
The national company provides coffins to the north of Scotland and has recently created a Tardis casket complete with flashing light. He said he’s even known customers to buy a coffin in advance and keep it in their loft.
“I always smile thinking about a request we got for a Walking Dead coffin. I mean, that was a bit close to the bone, literally,” Scott laughed.
“That makes me smile. And why would you not want to smile thinking about a loved one? I just think the more choice the better.
“If you want to buy it (your coffin) now and keep it at home then why not? It’s up to you after all.”
Burying convention… ‘and anything else we’re asked to’
Also up to the deceased, is what goes into a casket with them.
Aberdeen undertaker Mark Shaw explained: “There are certain things you can’t have for cremation. The materials used for coffins are specified, for example, for environmental reasons.
“But you do get requests from people to have some personal effects in their casket with them or to wear something special which is fine so long as they don’t impact the cremation process.”
For Annette, being asked to bury five cats alongside their owner was her most ‘surprising’ ask, and for Scott it was a request to have a gun interred with the body.
But funeral flair doesn’t have to end on the day of the burial or cremation.
Fireworks and tattoos
While a vase-like urn is likely what you’d think of when it comes to storing the ashes of a relative following cremation, it’s by no means the only way.
Coloured cardboard tubes, bespoke boxes, mini wicker baskets, turning ashes into precious gems and jewellery are just some of the ways ashes can be preserved.
For around £100 per tablespoon of ash, Cremation Ink can turn remains into ink for tattoos. And Mark Copland of Inverurie has found a way to turn the ashes of loved ones – or pets – into fireworks.
The owner of Fireworkx Scotland said: “We’ve been offering this service for 20 years but it’s certainly grown in popularity. We get a lot of enquiries because it is a specialist service. You can’t do a DIY job, we know how to design and produce fireworks which is why it’s possible.”
The cost for the bespoke service varies from £200 to thousands, depending on how much ash is being used and if the family want to take the firework home or commission Mark to include it in a special display set to music.
He added: “I think it’s an honour to be trusted with this. Over the years I’ve been given the ashes of dogs and cats, even a horse, and I’ve helped celebrate the lives of lots of people.
“The most humbling time was being asked to do this following the death of a 13-year-old. Incredibly special thing to do and a nice way for a family to handle the one last act they can do for a loved one.”
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