Personalising a Funeral

Abbott Funerals in Kempston, Bedford can help you to personalise your loved ones funeral as much as possible, making it unique to your family

Involving family and friends

Readings

Think about individual contributions such as an address from a member of your family which could be in the form of a religious reading, a poem or perhaps a favourite story.

Carrying the coffin

This can be discussed when making the funeral arrangements.

The Service

Encouraging mourners to take an active part in the ceremony is another way of personalising. Ask them to bring a token, a flower, note or card and lay it on the coffin or in the run up to the ceremony think of music special to their loved one that can be played during the service.

Arranging a Funeral

Eulogy and Obituary

Eulogy

A Eulogy is a speech or piece of writing that praises someone highly and is delivered during the funeral.

Writing and giving a eulogy is a way of saying farewell to someone who has died that, in a sense, brings the person to life in the minds of the audience. Your minister is best placed to offer you advice, but generally people include information about family, early childhood, qualifications and work life, interests, activities and club membership and finally special stories.

Writing An Obituary

Obituaries are usually published in local or national newspapers and this is something we can help you with. It is a way of informing many people about the death of your loved one and can include the date, time and location of the funeral. It is also a good way to announce the charity chosen by the family to enable people to make donations, especially if an online donation site has been set up. Should you wish to arrange the obituary yourself with the newspaper office you will need to take a typed or written notice and a copy of the death certificate with you together with a photograph. Alternatively, we will organise the obituary for you.

Get in touch

For more information from AL & G Abbott Funeral Directors in Kempston, Bedford or to schedule a funeral planning consultation, call us on

01234 843 222

What our families say

I just wanted to say I am so grateful and thank you for the care and support you showed us as a family and the care you took in looking after my mum. These things are never easy, but you helped me so much along the way. Nothing seemed too much trouble or a problem and I am so thankful for that.

R and Family.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the very caring, professional and ‘perfect’ funeral you provided for our precious mum. The care she received throughout was superb, nothing short of superb.

The Families of E.S.

My whole family wish to pass on our grateful thanks to all the team at Abbotts for all the help and support in organising the funeral. Thank you for all the care and respect given to Dad whilst he was in your care, it was a great comfort to all the family.

J & S T.

We just wanted to say thank you for the excellent service you provided for mum’s funeral. It was a hard day for us, but you took charge and made us feel that we did not need to worry about the details and so were able to give mum the send-off she deserved, thank you so much.

C.M. & M.C.

I just wanted to thank you all for all your kindness and support carrying out my mum’s funeral. It was exactly what she would have wanted. Everything went perfectly without a hitch, which is down to your professionalism and dedication to compassionate customer service. It was a difficult day which you all helped me through. My heartfelt thanks once again.

J.B.

I would just like to say a huge thank you for the care and compassion shown to my family and I on the loss of my mum. It was such a difficult time for me, with the added distance of journeying back and forth to my home, but I felt you were there for me at each stage and nothing was too much trouble. I was so grateful to be able to spend precious time in the Chapel of Rest where I could tell mum was truly cared for. Special thanks to Chris for his support and attention from beginning to end.

C.M.

I lost my mum in 2018 and a year later I was still lost, grieving, angry & hurt. My Aunty saw your advert offering this amazing add on service. To be honest I was sceptical I thought you would only offer it to the recently bereaved but I knew I needed someone to talk to so I thought what the heck, what's the worst they'll say? No sorry it's only for existing clients?? So I emailed and my god I'm so glad I did. Chere is... "wow" my heart smiles when I think of her. What an exceptional lady and an absolute asset to your team. Now I can smile and laugh when I think of my mum instead of trying to block out her memory because it's too sad to think of her. My "new normal".

A.M.

Contact Us

We serve Kempston and the surrounding areas. If you need any advice then please do get in touch and we we will be happy to help you.

Latest Update

Further to the government announcement on the 23rd March please find below the current guidelines regarding the funeral industry.

All funeral services must respect the current government requests for social distancing and the protection of high-risk groups.

Where possible, all funerals will be arranged over the phone or via other electronic means. If they are arranged in person, social distancing must be respected, this means:

Individuals must keep 2m apart
Wash hands frequently
If anyone coughs or sneezes then use a tissue and catch it / kill it / bin it
The number of people attending must be limited

Funerals cannot be arranged in person with anyone currently showing symptoms of the virus or who are self-isolating.

It is vital that funeral service employees, who are key workers, can remain healthy to continue to support bereaved families.

Chapel of Rest visits - these can go ahead at specific pre-arranged times and will be limited to people who live in the same household. At risk groups are strongly urged not to visit.
Funeral Service - the number of people attending the service will be limited in line with government advice on social distancing. The situation regarding specific locations is constantly under review and we will advise families on the current recommendations. During any service all social distancing guidelines must be respected.
Limousines - these can no longer be offered as a form of transport.
Charitable donations - all collections will be dealt with online.

We are working to stay on top of all of the current government advice to protect our staff and your families. We understand that at this already very difficult time certain guidelines will cause even more distress for which we are very sorry but they are totally out of our control. We are here for you to talk things through so please don’t hesitate to call, we are committed to help you through this very difficult time. We continue to offer our Bereavement Listening Service over the phone so please contact us if you are interested.