An affordable and meaningful funeral.
In 2010, Quaker Social Action took a risk to set up a pioneering project.
We wanted to support people already struggling to make ends meet. For anyone in this situation, the sudden expense of a bereavement puts an unbearable strain on already stretched household finances.
We knew though that an affordable funeral was only half the goal.
A funeral also has to be meaningful. In the words of the poet and undertaker, Thomas Lynch:
"A good funeral gets the dead where they need to go and the living where they need to be."
Thomas Lynch - POet and Undertaker
Since Down to Earth began, we’ve supported over 4,000 people across the UK struggling with funeral costs. The average funeral cost for a basic funeral has risen 122% since 2004, to a staggering £4,271, leaving 1 in 8 of us struggling to pay without taking on debt. (Sunlife, 2018).
Due to these high costs, the average debt people are faced with after a funeral stands at £1,744. (Royal London, 2018)
“Everyone else I phoned said “no I can’t help” or didn’t even get back to me. You were the only one who told me exactly what I needed to do.
Down to Earth service user
Find out more about Down to Earth:
What difference does Down to Earth make?