What To Do When Someone Dies

Upon death (whether at home or in a nursing home) the first call will be to the care team who have been attending the deceased, the community nurse should then attend to confirm death, and you can then ring us on our 24-hour call line which is available 365 days a year.

We will then attend to transfer your loved one back to our chapel of rest. If death occurs in hospital, they will remain there until all the required paperwork has been completed by the doctor.

After which the deceased will then be taken to our private chapel of rest.

The only thing left for you to do is register the death of your loved one at the registrars. This must be done by a family member, executor or person responsible for arranging the funeral, and not the Funeral Director. This can be done before or after arranging the funeral with us. You will need to know that the Medical Certificate of cause of death has been sent to the registrars.

Planning a Funeral

Planning a funeral is a very personal decision and at Brook Smith’s we believe that it is important to get all the details right. We will take time and care to guide, advise and oversee all the planning on your behalf.

We take great care to ensure that every funeral is carried out to the wishes of the family of the deceased. The type of funeral varies from traditional burials and cremation to woodland burials and even burials on private ground such as farmland and large gardens. We are happy to arrange whatever you wish, provided it is dignified and of course legal. No detail is too small or large for consideration. Our sole aim is for everyone to feel that they have been able to adequately celebrate the life of their loved ones in a manner that honours them.

You may wish to consider the following options before you get in touch with us and we will guide you through the arrangements for the funeral and organise everything on your behalf. These funeral arrangements can take place either in your home or in our offices at a time suitable to you.

Cremation

• Is the service and cremation to take place at the crematorium or will there be a church service first?
• The services at the crematorium take place every hour and the service time should be no more than 25 minutes allowing time for you to be seated in the chapel and leaving the chapel where you can meet people after the service. It is possible to book a double time slot, but an extra charge will be made by the council.

Burial

• Which cemetery will it take place in and where would the funeral service take place, in the church or around the grave?

Woodland Burial

• The options available in the Skipton area are Tarn Moor Memorial Woodland or Brocklands Woodland burial ground at Rathmell, near Settle.

We hope that having found our website you will feel confident to call us and allow us the privilege of looking after you at what we know will be a very sensitive time. As a family business we want to assure you of our desire to do everything we can to make this as easy as possible for you.

Read more about alternative funerals here.

Reception & Catering

Funeral receptions give families and friends a chance to come together to share memories and celebrate their loved one’s life in a less formal setting. We can arrange this for you and recommend caterers and local venues.