The following article was published in the December 2017 edition of Swansea Bay Business Life. The article was written to raise awareness of a funeral comparison website ‘About The Funeral’ which assists the client in making an informed decision at their time of need.
Written and published by Chris Pyke, Business Correspondent at Media Wales.

It’s something that none of us want to think about before it happens, but sooner or later most of us will have to arrange a loved one’s funeral. When the time comes most people just want to get it over with and don’t want to worry about how much it is costing.

But with the average price of even a basic funeral coming in at more than £4,000, it’s not surprising that one in 7 people go into debt to pay for it with an average debt of £1,668.

In fact, Britons amass a total of £160m of funeral debt a year.

As with most things, people could save a lot of money by shopping around, with funeral directors’ costs varying by as much as £2,365 within the same postcode area.

Despite this, only 6% of people get quotes from more than one funeral director and 89% of us go with the first one we contact.

Now one woman is trying to help people save money by providing a comparison site where you can compare the costs of different funeral directors in your area.

Kim Bird set up About the Funeral after years of working in the funeral business and seeing how people depended on their funeral directors.

“When you have to arrange a funeral you just want to get it all done and for it all to be over as quickly as possible,” she said.

“Many people want a funeral director to do all the work but you don’t have to, you can do a lot yourself. But most people want the funeral director to do it because it’s too emotional.”

In Wales the average cost of a simple funeral is around £3,500. Three quarters of people opt for cremations, which is perhaps not surprising given that burials cost on average at least £1,000 more.

The website allows you to compare the costs of different funeral directors in your area, but also to see how you can bring the cost down by choosing different packages.
Ms Bird came up with the idea for the business 18 years ago while she was working as a funeral arranger and bereavement counsellor. She was touched by the experience of the bereaved families she met and how vulnerable they were.

“Funeral plans get a bad press because they are mis-sold by some unscrupulous resellers who won’t tell you that the plan doesn’t include everything,” said Ms Bird.

Most plans don’t include cremation or burial costs or the costs of a grave. Sometimes the family isn’t aware that not everything is covered, so Ms Bird urges people who take out a plan to make sure they and their family know what’s covered.

On the site a user can compare funeral plans. Funeral plans typically cost between £3,500 and £4,000 and can be a good way to save your family from having to find the money to pay for your funeral after your death.

About the Funeral has been hailed by GoCompare founding member Kevin Hughes as an industry disruptor by tackling the lack of price transparency head on.

Mr Hughes has joined the board as an investor and director. Two non executive directors bring different, but equally vast experience to the firm. Alan Slater is a former CEO of the largest funeral trade association in the UK, the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) whose members account for 80% of all funerals, and Rob Thomas is the former Chief Architect and Head of IT Delivery at Go Compare.

The cost of a funeral is made up of funeral directors’ fees and third party expenses. The funeral directors’ fees cover things like arranging the funeral, looking after the body, and supplying the coffin, hearse and staff on the day. The third party expenses include such things as cremation or burial fees, paying for a minister or celebrant, flowers, newspaper notices, order of service sheets and the costs of a wake.

And Ms Bird cites a study that says 85% of consumers want funeral prices to be published so she believes there is an obvious demand for the site and the industry needs to respond to this and change.

One firm that has signed up the site is Swansea’s Sims & Jones Independent Funeral Directors.

With more than 50 years’ funeral experience between father and son undertakers Gareth and Matthew Sims, the pair created their business, along with family friend Geraint Rhys Jones and Elwyn Marfell Jones, in 2014.

Their endeavour was a response to what they felt was an increasingly corporatised landscape for undertakers.

“The funeral profession has been industrialised by big businesses,” says Matthew.

“We felt a lot of companies were taking away the compassion and personal touches that customers really need at what is a very difficult time for them.”

Matthew acknowledges that Sims & Jones is a profitable business, but says profit is not its main objective.

The company implements a cap on the amount of money it makes per funeral, keeping its services as cost effective as possible, and it’s happy to be transparent with its pricing.

“The prices we advertise are for complete funerals – there are no hidden extras, and we tell customers the full costs involved before we properly engage with them, so there’s no pressure on them to make a decision.”

This is partly why Sims & Jones signed up to About The Funeral, as the service allows customers to consider costs and quotes in their own time, without the pressure involved in meeting a funeral director face-to-face.

“When a loved one passes away people will make kneejerk reactions, mainly because they’re dealing with very intense emotions, and they want to offload some of the stress on to someone else,” says Matthew.

“Whether that someone else charges £4,000 or £3,000 doesn’t matter at that specific moment, but it could have significant financial implications later on. It’s important that customers make decisions will all the information available to them.”

The company hopes that About The Funeral will encourage people to ‘shop around’ for undertaking services. “It’s made us, and other independent funeral directors, known to customers who mightn’t have sought us out before,” says Matthew, who notes that in times of distress it’s easy to simply choose a big, well-established name.

“It’s not just about getting the cheapest funeral, it’s about getting a funeral that’s right for the customer. About The Funeral allows independent undertakers to demonstrate exactly what they can do for every customer – their dedication to compassion and personal service – with the transparent pricing that’s sorely needed. It’s evened out the playing field for the profession.”

Sims and Jones Independent Funeral Directors in South Wales are very pleased to support the ‘Five things to do before you die’ campaign.

It is often a discussion that people avoid at all costs, but the importance of having this discussion is highlighted when families are planning a funeral of their loved one without any idea of what their wishes were.
“I often support families who are unsure what their loved ones would have wanted after their death and this puts even more stress on them during an already emotional time.”

If the discussion is still to uncomfortable for you to have with your loved ones, it is now an option to complete the information within the booklet and let your loved ones know where this is stored. Sims and Jones Independent Funeral Directors are also happy to record and keep a duplicate copy of these wishes, or should this information be something that you would prefer not to keep in your own home.Continue reading→

From the initial thought of forming our business, Swansea Funeral Directors, Sims and Jones’ ethos has been to support the community and be a little different. With any new business focus rests on the initial set up. To support the community requires funds, something a new business is always short of. Up until now the community support has been limited to the East Side Food Bank, MacMillan Coffee Mornings as well as our core business of giving help to bereaved families, by providing our professional services, as the families chosen Funeral Director. We have always wanted to do more for the Swansea community and recently, following discussions within the company, it transpired that there was an obvious service we could offer the community.

One of the Directors and Funeral Director of Sims and Jones, is a well known classically trained Tenor. Matthew Ioan Sims has sung at many concerts throughout Swansea, the UK and aboard. These appearances have ranged from guest artist with Choirs to charity events. Matthew graduated with a Masters Degree from the Wales International Academy of Voice, Cardiff, in 2013. The course was under the guidance of World famous Tenor Dennis O’Neill CBE and the Patronage of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa OBE. The degree was awarded by the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David.

Following these discussions, Sims and Jones, Swansea Funeral Directors have agreed to sponsor and launch a new Community Program. It is planned that Matthew will tour local Swansea Residential and Nursing Homes. The idea is to provide music to those, in the community, who are now unable to attend concerts or musical shows. This will help and enhance the entertainment program that Residential and Nursing Homes already provide. Matthew will sing a 45 minute program of mixed music with a variety old classics and songs to stir the soul.

If you work at a Residential or Nursing home and would like to arrange a musical visit by Matthew, please contact him directly on Matthew@simsandjones.com or by calling 01792 700501. The program will run for three months, initially, with the intention of re-visiting, at regular intervals thereafter, should the program be a successful.

The family name Sims has been in existence in Bonymaen and Morriston, Swansea for a very long time. The Bakers and Confectioners business began in 1862 by Evan George Sims, supplying the Bonymaen area with freshly baked bread and other household goods. Following the death of Evan the business was continued by Evan’s Son David, and subsequently by Eirlys, David’s wife and ably assisted by her sister in law Sal Jenkins. After many fruitful years, the rise of the supermarkets were to change the business. However the general stores was still in existence until recently. In 2011 Sal passed away at the age of 91 and Eirlys decided that it was the right time to close the general stores. This ending an era. The location of the shop had been untouched and was like going back in time, until recently. Gareth Sims, who is the grandson of Evan George Sims worked as a funeral director for many years in Swansea, in particular the Brynhyfryd area, and when Gareth’s son, Matthew, became of age, he also followed in his fathers footsteps and began employment in the funeral profession, as is Gareth’s other son Lee.

Over the years Gareth has gained much experience in the Funeral Profession and has aided Matthew in his career, with help and advice. As a result Matthew is now established as a funeral director himself and a director of the company. It seemed a natural continuation, with the shop in Jersey Road vacant, offering an ideal location, that a family funeral directors be established, thus continuing the Sims name in the locality, hopefully for many years to come. Gareth and Matthew are fluent welsh speakers and the continuity of service will continue from first point of contact to the funeral itself and after. A family business cares for its clients like no other, because it matters to us that our good name continues and we are extremely proud that we can now service our own community with the very last means of respect, compassion and dignity.

Sims and Jones was set up as a new generation funeral director offering the family the widest possible range of choices now available with the changing face of modern funerals. This of course based on the very best traditional service, possible because of our forty years experience in the funeral profession. Because Sims and Jones is a new name does not mean that we are new to the very sensitive needs of the of the family or the funeral profession as a whole.

The clients of Sims and Jones can rest assured that your loved one will be treated in the most dignified and respectful way. Transparency, Compassion and Care, and attention to detail is paramount. We also believe that a Funeral Directors should from a part of the community. With this in mind we have chosen to support a new charity / organisation in the area. This is the East Side Food Bank. This will help the community fight against poverty and hardship. Here we are pictured making a contribution to the charity. The Food Bank will be present at the open day and will gratefully receive any food donations. Since establishing the business Sims and Jones Funeral Directors have focused on producing an informative website, with links to many social media platforms, making information available to all and at the clients convenience. We have obtained membership to SAIF, so that our clients know they are going to be looked after and cared for by professionals. We also provide Golden Charter Funeral Plans. Our newly renovated office and arrangement room is now totally functional and all the facilities at our head office have recently undergoing renovation. We are looking forward to what the future has in store for us as a family business and are very happy that the name lives on in the community of Bonymaen, Swansea.

We look forward to welcoming you to our open day where free refreshments, discount vouchers for all visitors and a warm welcome awaits you.

For any enquiries or advice please call 01792 700501