Caring Lady Independent Funeral Director - Where You Are At the Heart of What We Do

Funded Funerals

Amanda-Louise Lady Funeral Director offers support to families on low income or claiming benefits across Somerset and Devon so they can access funds to pay for a funeral

Amanda-Louise Funeral Services - Somerset's female led funeral director

Help Towards Paying For a Funeral

Here at Amanda-Louise Funeral Director Services we have experience in working alongside the DWP (Department of Works and Pension) who offer financial assistance to those on low income or claiming benefits. We can help you with the process with the DWP and discuss how much you are likely to receive towards the funeral costs to alleviate some of the worries faced when someone close to you has died.

We welcome everyone into our funeral directors home. We'll bring the person who has died into our peaceful setting to be cared for until their funeral, provide a simple coffin in readiness for their cremation or burial, we can change their clothing or provide ability to spend time with them if that's important to you before their funeral, provide an alternative vehicle to convey them to their funeral, and can collect their cremated ashes (where appropriate) on your behalf. And importantly as a lady funeral director, you will receive our wrap around focus on planning the arrangements and bereavement advice, supporting everyone when they need us the most.

Being transparent in everything we do is important to us. So its worth mentioning there are no guarantees every application to the DWP will be successful (its criteria based), or that the monies will cover all that you wish to plan for, so we will make arrangements with you to pay for the cost (or remaining costs) of the funeral.

To give you an idea, the Social Fund may make a contribution towards the cost of a simple funeral within the UK. This includes:-

  1. Bringing the body home if the person died away from home but within the UK
  2. The Death Certificate
  3. A standard coffin
  4. The Hearse for the coffin and bearers
  5. Flowers from the person who arranged the funeral
  6. Contribution towards the fees of funeral director
  7. Chaplain and organist fee for simple funeral
  8. Cemetery fee or Crematorium fee
  9. Doctor’s fees

Talk to your caring lady funeral directors at Amanda-Louise to support you every step of the way on telephone 07879220046

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What to expect from us
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We care for you and your family

As your Lady Funeral Directors, Amanda-Louise can meet you in the comfort of your own home, or in our peaceful office, or via video call if you'd prefer. We will never tell you how 'things should be done', or rush you, but support you to understand and consider your choices, so that you can decide what is right for you and your family and friends.

We will listen to you, and can help you plan a funeral ceremony. We'll respect your personal beliefs, values and culture and ensure your requirements, and those of the person that has died, are reflected in the funeral. You may prefer a religious funeral, a more secular service or might want to include a number of different religious and spiritual perspectives within the same service.

We can help you to reflect on the life of the person who has died and enable you to create some positive memories to support you at a time when people can often feel sad and alone. We can support you to have a farewell that you desire - so we will support you to understand the wide range of options such as visual, musical, floral, donations, readings/poems for example, as well as organising venue and/or hospitality for your after funeral wake or reception, if you wish.

Importantly, we will be flexible to your needs and wishes and give you our time to help put your ideas into action. You can take as much control as you like. We are able to support families from across Somerset or Devon, are not regionally restricted, we can help you create an event at a time and place that is best for you.

Amanda-Louise Funeral Director, can also personally deliver a heartfelt celebrant led service on your behalf should you wish, or we can recommend other talented professional ceremony leaders including religious ministers, celebrants and humanists.

We work hard to support the wellbeing of every family we support (adults and children).We can also provide a wealth of practical bereavement information for adults and children, and we'll ensure the funeral is meaningful for you, which helps in coming to terms with loss too.

We care for the person who has died

In our care you have trusted us to look after your loved one and we take enormous pride in treating people with respect and dignity. From the very moment the person who has died comes into our care, to the moment they leave, we will treat them with compassion, kindness and consideration. We see this as part of the cycle of life

We reach out and support people from 15 to 50+ miles away from us, as we safely transfer the deceased into our facilities. We'll care for the person entrusted into our funeral home with compassion and dignity, and treat everyone as guests in our home. Or we can assist if you prefer the deceased to remain at home or liaise with a repatriation company for deaths abroad.

We provide a comprehensive range of coffins in different materials, including coffin accessories to suit all tastes. This is a very personal choice, so we happily talk about them or can show you the differences.

We can provide the ability for family to spend time with their loved one, and to change clothing if this is important to you. Plus you can be involved in as little or as much of their care as you desire. We will gently prepare them for their funeral following your wishes including hairstyles or makeup, and whilst we do not routinely embalm we can provide this if you desire. We’ll take great care of any person effects, and give them to you ,or they will remain with the person Plus we can arrange for your items to be placed in the coffin if you wish.

We can even support you to keep your loved one at home right up until their funeral if you wish.

On the day of the funeral

We understand that attention to detail is really important, from considering the way people enter the service to carefully calculating the journey time.

We can provide our professional pallbearers to convey the coffin. We can help you bear the coffin if that's important to you. We can arrange special routes to the funeral if you wish, or alternative hearses and limousines.

We can arrange to collect family from railway station or airport if helpful.

Some families prefer not to hold the funeral ceremony at a crematorium chapel or in church, so we can support you to have a service in a chosen hotel, hall or alternative venue that is meaningful to you.

Amanda-Louise will be by your side giving you that reassuring presence ensuring everything is going to plan smoothly, and we leave when you are ready for us to go. We can also provide attendance cards so you know who has attended the funeral ceremony service.

After the funeral

We remain connected should you need us. If we collected donations, we will provide you with audit trail so you know they have been forwarded to the relevant people, organisation or charity. We'll collect ashes if that's helpful & deliver them to you. We can arrange for you to scatter them or preserve them if you wish.

We will have spoken to you about the arrangements of the funeral flowers and carried out those wishes. And if required, we can organise graves and headstones to be put in place at a suitable time after a burial or ashes placed.

And we welcome you to stay in touch. Often our clients pop in to talk about how life is treating them, or to attend one of our coffee afternoons as life can be isolating at times following the loss of a loved one. Our kettle is always on, likely biscuits too. Rest assured, we will never stop caring - here for you whenever you need us, wherever you are.

Do you need more help?

"We all felt totally safe opening our hearts to Amanda-Louise and were so impressed in the skills and empathy she has to understand how we all felt."

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Funded Funerals

Our frequently asked questions to guide you

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Dear Amanda, just a note to say a huge thank you for all your support and the wonderful service you conducted in honour of my Mum. I cant think of anyone better to conduct the service and Im so proud to call you my trusted friend, along with knowing it was Mum's choice to have you here today - she knew what you had supported with me in the past, and knows you always give sound advice. Thank you once again for everything, love Sharon x

Sharon Hilleard

‘You have been so helpful during this whole process and I would recommend you and your services to everyone’

Lynn M

‘A friend recommended Amanda-Louise…at my mother’s funeral. Like most people in my position, I found the prospect of organising not only a funeral but my own mother’s funeral during Covid19 times. But Amanda-Louise was absolutely amazing. She was so caring, compassionate, understanding and most of all friendly. She listened intently to the type of funeral service we required (I didn’t know there were so many options), made notes, asked questions to get to know not only us but my mother too – consequently offered suggestions. The result was amazing if you could say a funeral was perfect – this was genuinely it. I can’t put into words how grateful I am to Amanda – Louise’s professional and compassionate approach to a very emotional event. Whatever the event if I could employ Amanda-Louise again I would have no hesitation whatsoever.’

Julie

‘Beautiful service for my late husband John. Amanda did him proud, she took the service with feeling and respect. Thank you Amanda.’‍

Pippa B

'Amanda gave us as a family, the service we wanted and that my dad would have been very happy with and arranging to have him brought back to Northern Ireland with us and accompanying him on his final journey . Nothing was too much trouble for Amanda and she is a very kind and understanding lady.'

Rachelle Coggins

'Amanda Louise helped with all the practical details of organising my father's funeral. She really listened to what we wanted and helped us design a service that was a personal reflection of his personality and his relationships. She mixes great organisational skills, getting things done behind the scenes, with practical and emotional support. Amanda-Louise ensured everything ran smoothly and was always available for questions and support and her role of celebrant on the day played a big part in making the service something to reflect on with pride and fondness.'

Amanda M

‘I cannot praise Amanda enough. Clearly professional in her role she brought direction and comfort in equal measure, and yes, some humour to a very special Celebration of Life. A separate session with the young children attending gave them a role in the proceedings and an understanding of the meaning of the meeting. I recommend her services for any celebration, happy or sad.’

Dudley P

'At a time when as a family we were in the depths of sorrow at our loss Amanda - Louise arrived. It was as if the weight of trying to make sure that my husband’s life was remembered and honoured was completely understood by Amanda and we all relaxed. Our memories were brought to life in the service and I found it such a comfort. We all felt totally safe opening our hearts to her and were so impressed in the skills she has and empathy she has to understand how we all felt.'

Claire W

Thank you Amanda for looking after my close friend and her partner’s funeral. You were so professional, caring and lovely from the moment we spoke on the phone to the day of the funeral. I knew they were in safe hands with you. Everything you did was what they wished for. We can not thank you enough. Sharon (Admin) Thomas Brothers Funeral Directors

Thomas Brothers Funeral Directors

Dear Amanda, our deepest appreciation and heartfelt thanks and gratitude go out to you for the lovely service you gave for our Mum/Sister and Nan Myra. Although a day of sorrow for all the family and friends, you helped the day pass with an air of smooth tranquillity and sincere friendship. thank you Amanda, Dawn and Carol

Dawn

‘I just wanted to thank you for dad’s funeral. It was presented so beautifully and the personal letters to us all was a really thoughtful touch. I know Mum is grateful too, she thought you did a wonderful job celebrating Dad’s remarkable life. He truly was one of life’s funny and happy people. In addition, your support and gentle manner on the day of Dad’s funeral hasn’t gone unnoticed either. Thank you for introducing yourself to my son….and offering him some reassuring words as well as noticing the scarf he was wearing for his Grandad.’

Donna W

What a wonder lady, Amanda-louise was excellent at creating just the right service for my dear fathers funeral. She is sensitive, adaptable and has a lovely sense of humour. You will not regret using her. Sue x”

Sue Babey

'Amanda had the difficult job of creating a beautiful ceremony that brought together many different parts of our lost loved one’s life. She rung up and spoke to each sibling to get stories and details needed for the ceremony. I never felt more at ease knowing she was here for the funeral. What she came up with was beautiful and she treated my dad with the utmost respect and honour. She made a bad day manageable, and it was simply beautiful.'

Mrs P Potts

‘Amanda-Louise was from the outset very friendly, caring and thoughtful. Such a good service provided to us in our time of grief and the service was more than we than we could have expected. I feel like I have known her for years and that if I ever need to talk she will be there for me.’

Lesley W

Dear Amanda-Louise, I am writing this card to say a HUGE thank you for all your help and expertise, that I found so helpful while organising my son's funeral service. It was so comforting to have you by my side along that path, and it was wonderful having you conduct the service on the day. You were so calm and professional, and gave me the strength to get through it. I would not have the slightest hesitation in recommending you and your services. thank you! Warmest regards Sally

Sally Priddy

I'm so glad we met you Amanda, we all talk about how smoothly it flowed. I think your right Dad would of been proud of us all. Thank you for your services, Ian :)

Ian Mitcham

'I’ve met Amanda on two occasions two years in a row now for both my grandparents funeral. I can say our family felt in such great hands and so looked after by Amanda. She listened to what we’d like as a family as well as taking the time to get to know our loved ones we were saying goodbye to! Our family is forever grateful for her services and are so thankful to her.'

Abi Wong

'Amanda-Louise is a wonderful person, who helped us say good bye to our Dad in a personalised and positive way, for which we will be forever grateful.'

Anna Lienka

'Finding a funeral director is not something I’ve ever wanted to do because the death of a loved one becomes VERY real. I searched around my local area and all I could see were ‘traditional’ websites with not a lot on them. Owning a website myself, I know how important it is to give as much detail as possible..Amanda-Louise has absolutely done this. Her website is welcoming and full of information. My initial in-person meeting with her was fantastic! Amanda-Louise made me feel so comfortable and her office is very calming and not ‘traditional’ in any way which I think is a great credit to her and her business. From beginning to the sad end, (and beyond!) Amanda-Louise has been with myself and my family through the whole process and no question or suggestion is any trouble. She goes above and beyond for her clients and I’m so incredibly happy we chose her to arrange everything. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else and although I don’t want to think about another death in my family..Amanda-Louise will be my ‘go to’ for any I will need in the future ❤️'

Calley Owen

Thank you for your pack with Dad's service details. It was presented brilliantly and was great to read over. Thank you again for your touch on things. Unfortunately, you are someone I hope not to see again in the near future, but if I do, I know the ceremony is in the best of hands’

Dean W

'Amanda-Louise is an amazing positive and kind lady who has gone above and beyond my expectations of a funeral director. Particularly as my husband chose a direct cremation (unattended) yet I was able to have a local, personalised cremation, with me making my own floral tribute along with other personalised touches, that I don't believe a large organisation (TV advertised) would be able to do for you . She gave me a lot of time, care and attention to detail, with practical and emotional support as well. I would highly recommend this caring respectful and professional funeral service.'

Carol Coutts

‘I wanted to say how lovely the service was. I loved what you said, and it was just right for Dad. You were so professional, considerate, and caring and both me and Mum felt looked after.’

Heather H

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"Dedicated to giving you the funeral you deserve & want"

A message from Amanda-Louise

"With my vision on providing wrap-around-care from start to finish. Our team are here to help you with every aspect of planning and organising your funeral needs from the preparation of the body to events and memorial services, I will be with you every step of the way"