2025 marks five years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and on Sunday 9 March, people across the UK will come together for a Day of Reflection.
It’s a time to remember those who lost their lives, the sacrifices made by many and the impact the pandemic had on us all.
Funeral arrangements could be heartbreaking during Covid
I co-manage QSA’s Down To Earth, the only UK-wide service for people struggling with funeral costs.
Funerals looked very different during the height of the pandemic. Attendees were limited, if they were allowed at all, and social distancing meant that mourners were unable to gather as they would normally.
Our team remembers the announcement of the first lockdown and the calls that started to come in to our helpline. My colleague Lindesay shares that:
The level of heartbreak in some of those calls and the choices people were forced to make have stuck with me. Like one woman who had to grieve alone when her husband died during one of the lockdowns. She opted for a direct cremation (without a service or mourners present), because she couldn’t face the idea of attending the funeral and no one being able to comfort her.
– Lindesay Mace, Down to Earth Co-Manager and Influencing Lead
Our team members’ thoughts were very much with the clients they supported, as well as their own safety and the health of their families. Gillian from our team can still recall the first client who contacted the service about a funeral for someone who had died from Covid.
‘It was a bit surreal really, suddenly it was there, and it was real. I also remember a man who lost both his parents to Covid, and talking to other team members about how awful it all was.’
– Gillian Cole, Down to Earth Development Worker
We supported each other as a team during this time, keeping in touch online and finding lighter moments when possible. Later on QSA also provided us with structured support from a qualified coach and mindfulness trainer.
Down to Earth provided up-to-the-minute guidance
Like many others, our team made the sudden adjustment to remote work. We also wrote an online guide specifically for funerals carried out during the pandemic. This was aimed at people looking to arrange a meaningful funeral, that was as affordable as possible, throughout the restrictions and lockdowns.
We updated the guide regularly to ensure it was accurate, and it was accessed by nearly 10,000 users during its first three months.
‘It was a constant struggle to keep ourselves and our online guides up-to-date regarding the various government rules and regulations, not only because they kept changing but because they were sometimes unclear or contradictory.’
– Lindesay
Many people opted for cremations without a service or mourners present, planning to arrange events to remember the person who had died once restrictions had lifted. In response, our team included a section in the guide about ways to mark the occasion of a funeral while remaining at home.
Demand surged for support with funeral costs
Many people found themselves in financial difficulty during the pandemic, and this was reflected in the demand for our funeral costs helpline and the stories that we heard there.
In August 2020, around 8 in 10 respondents to a survey by CPAG reported a significant deterioration in their living standards, due to falling income and rising expenditure. Around this time, the UK’s death rate also increased by more than 5%. All of this meant that Down to Earth’s specialist support with funeral costs was in higher demand than ever before.
We’re celebrating our volunteers
We needed to develop a triage system for the Down to Earth helpline, to manage capacity and get support to people as efficiently as possible. As we quickly set this up, we were also pleased to welcome some volunteers to the team.
The volunteers enabled the team to get back to clients quickly after the initial contact. What’s more, they offered a warm and empathic ear, and provided some initial guidance. They also gathered essential information that helped our caseworkers to prioritize and deliver tailored support.
Without the volunteers, bereaved people may have waited longer for a call from a member of the team, potentially resulting in them going ahead with funeral arrangements that would cause more financial hardship.
We have been lucky to keep this brilliant volunteer support in place even after the pandemic. My team and I want to thank and celebrate our volunteers during Covid-19 and up to the present day. We acknowledge the huge value they have brought to Down to Earth and to the people we support.
Please join me in reflection
For Down to Earth, the pandemic has left a lasting impression. So much happened in that time that affected us all in so many ways.
I hope that you will join me in reflection on Sunday 9 March. I want to close by paying tribute to everyone who lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic, and to everyone who suffered a bereavement. And by acknowledging our team and volunteers, who mobilised to provide support to those making funeral arrangements at a very challenging time.
Down to Earth continues to be the only UK-wide service for people struggling with funeral costs. We rely on donations to keep our service running. Support Down to Earth.
Find out about volunteering for Down to Earth here.
For ideas on how to mark the Day of Reflection, you can visit the government’s dedicated webpages.