5 Stars - 252 Reviews
At Joanne Hume & Son Limited, we provide a comprehensive range of funeral services tailored to meet the unique needs of each family. Our offerings include traditional funerals, direct cremations, and memorial services. We’re here to support families in making arrangements that are respectful and personal.
Arranging a funeral can feel overwhelming, but we’re here to guide you through the process. You can contact us directly via phone or email to discuss your requirements. We’ll schedule a meeting to go through all your options, answer any questions, and help you make informed decisions about the funeral.
We will always offer to come to your own home if you prefer or if it is difficult for you to visit the funeral home.
Absolutely. We understand that each life is unique, and personalisation is vital in reflecting the character of your loved one. We encourage you to share any ideas you have for music, readings, poems or any specific traditions you’d like to include.
We will offer to design a printed Order of Service sheet – this is a little like a concert programme so it informs those attending of hymn words if you choose to have hymns, it might include poems, names of those speaking possibly and we will include any photographs you would like us to. If you choose to have family flowers only but donations in memory of your loved one, we often include the details of the chosen charity or organisation sometimes with a QR code which details different ways about how people can donate. We want those attending the funeral to leave thinking ‘that was wonderful and totally appropriate,’ for the person they have lost and that applies to the Order of Service sheet too.
You might have a choice of either vicar, minister or humanist officiant – that’s fine but if you need help to find the right person for you and your loved one, we will always try to introduce to the best person for you. We work with a huge range of celebrants.
Sometimes we are asked for ideas for the cortege, just some funerals we have arranged have included a motorcycle hearse, horse-drawn carriages, vintage lorries, even a tractor and trailer to honour the life of a farmer, there are so many different options available.
A quite unusual day included an Only Fools & Horses theme with a Trotters independent trader three-wheeler vehicle to carry the pall-bearers with a themed coffin which included the wording ‘this way up you plonker!’ This wouldn’t be for everyone but it was a memorable and fitting service for those that chose this for their family member who loved this TV series with David Jason.
The smallest things can make a difference, memorial seed packs are just one of the ideas we offer – these packs are personalised with a photograph and details of your loved one and we often hand these to those attending the funeral so that they can plant the seeds and watch them grow in memory of the person you are missing.
We will bring you ideas if you need them, for example hymn lists (should you want to include hymns), some examples of appropriate poems, books and pictures of different flower and floral arrangements etc. No two funeral services should ever be the same. Everyone is unique and so should everything we do for the person we are taking care of and their families.
The local crematoriums have excellent media systems – this means that we can show you how to see and hear what music and hymns are available for us to request on your behalf. If you choose a song or a piece of music that is not included in their music libraries we can request it, as long as it is commercially available. The music libraries allow us to search by song and hymn title as well as by each artist or singer.
If you are requesting a church service or maybe a civil service possibly in a community or village hall, we have an excellent music system we can bring with the music of your choice.
Very popular now are the showing of photographs on screens particularly at the crematoriums. These can be set to music and we can scan all the photos you would like us to and if you have some electronically that’s fine too, we just need to be sure in what order you would like the pictures to appear on the screen.
Some examples of personalised funerals have also included, a floral tribute in shape of a guide dog for a gentleman who was blind and was helped by guide dogs throughout his life. Our order of service sheet which we offer to make for every family, was also printed in braille as many of the gent’s friends were also visually impaired.
On other occasions we have designed and given out memorial bookmarks which included a favourite recipe of the person whose funeral we arranged.
Sometimes memorial bird seed packs have been requested for an avid bird lover.
If the releasing of doves is something that appeals to you, we can arrange for this to take place.
If you want us to inform those attending the funeral that black is not to be worn that is fine. Our staff will always wear a splash of colour too if you so wish.
If you would like us to record names of those who arrive at either the church, cemetery or crematorium of course we will do this. We then type the lists of names and give them to you some days after the funeral.
We will always discuss with you about the options at the end of a crematorium service regarding the curtains. To be honest nothing happens whilst we are there at the crematorium, the curtains closing is just done sometimes to signify the end of the service.
So many people hate this and we don’t have to close them at all, a button system is simply pressed by the person taking the service and it is your choice whether you prefer to have the curtains closed or not.
At Langstone Vale Crematorium we have a nice option which is to close a voile curtain (similar to a net curtain) and the lights dim slightly as the voile curtains draw and we can still clearly see that the coffin or casket is not being moved whilst we are present.
Sometimes family and friends like to place a flower on the coffin as they leave so we often leave the curtains open but we discuss this with every family individually.
Funeral costs can vary significantly based on the services selected. We provide transparent pricing and will offer a detailed breakdown of costs during our initial meetings. Our aim is to ensure you feel comfortable with your chosen options and understand what’s involved.
For an unattended direct cremation only service we charge £1095.
If a burial (interment) is wanted the cost will depend on the cemetery so ask us for an exact price if you want us to arrange a direct unattended burial.
If you find yourself in a situation worried about costs of having to arrange a funeral simply ask us about what help is available.
We have over the years obtained many grants, payments and financial help for individuals and families. These might be linked to your occupational background and work that either you or your loved one carried out. Sometimes it might be a charity or organisation linked to an illness or condition, sometimes connected to a hobby.
We will always help you to access what is available to you including bereavement support payments and funeral expenses payments.
We accept various payment methods, including bank transfers, cheques, and credit cards. Additionally, if your loved one had a pre-paid funeral plan, we’ll assist you through the process of utilising that plan to cover costs. If your loved one has a funeral plan with a different funeral director, please ask us about helping to transfer the plan to ourselves.
We will always assist with obtaining funeral expenses payments, (if you are eligible), and bereavement support payments. We also work with various charities and occupational trusts for those needing support.
Memorial services can be arranged either in conjunction with the funeral or at a later date. Our team will help you select a suitable venue and discuss the elements you’d like to incorporate into the service.
In the event following a death it is important to inform the right people and organisations promptly.
We will explain everything – nothing is urgent, you can not register the death of your loved one until the doctor and medical examiners liaise and send a medical certificate to the registrar. Only then, will the registrar give you an appointment time.
Please do not worry about anything you might read that says you have to register a death within 5 days – this is incorrect even if it is written in a hospital bereavement book you might have been given, (if your loved one passed in a hospital).
We are constantly communicating with GP’s, medical examiners and coroners. If the coroner is involved, we will explain the procedure to you. Grief and bereavement support are available from us, ask us what we can offer. Sometimes you may also want to consider speaking to:-
• Grief counsellors or therapists.
• Bereavement support groups (in-person or online).
• Local ministers or vicars if the church is right for you.
• There are various groups and clubs that you might be interested in. Ask us about U3A for example plus many more local groups.
• Charities and hospices (e.g., Cruse Bereavement Support, Marie Curie, Sue Ryder, or local hospice programs).
If you have more questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help and support you.
Thank you for your enquiry, we will get back to you shortly.
