After her son died, Angela had to put her grief on hold. She was forced to delay the funeral twice when she couldn't access much-needed financial support.
Thankfully she was put in touch with our Down to Earth service.
My son died suddenly last year.
I’m only on a pension, so I really didn’t have money for the funeral. The charges can be ridiculous – every little bit adds on.
I got in touch with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for support but it was a nightmare really. We had to delay the funeral twice because it took so long, and they weren't very pleasant to deal with.
It got me down, there was no closure while it was all going on.
Thankfully a social worker passed on details of Quaker Social Action's Down to Earth service. Without them, I really don’t know what I would have done. I wouldn’t have got anything I don’t think.
What the DWP offer didn’t go very far. Lindesay at Down to Earth helped me apply for a charity grant of £1,200 from Caritas. They were very helpful.
The funeral was very small, but it was lovely. It had the basics, just the one car.
I’ve struggled to grieve for him. It hit me on his birthday this year. It all came out and I felt a lot better. I couldn't do it properly at the time, there was too much going on.
About Down to Earth
Funeral poverty – where the price of a funeral is beyond someone’s ability to pay – continues to be a reality for thousands of people in the UK.
Our Down to Earth helpline team is there for people struggling with funeral costs, providing support and guidance to help them raise money and reduce costs. Since 2010, the team has supported over 4,700 people.
"Funeral poverty robs people of the mental space they need to grieve. When you don’t know how you will pay for a funeral, it is hard to think about anything else.
Afterwards, facing a funeral debt for months or even years, can seriously further delay the grieving process. It is heartbreaking to hear someone say they don’t feel they have a right to visit their loved one’s grave because the bill isn’t paid. It is a human right to be able to grieve in peace."
Lindesay Mace, Down to Earth