Contacts and Resources

These are organisations, government bodies and charities that may have resources, helplines and free guides to help you cope with the practical and emotional issues you may face when someone dies.

If your local council offers the Tell Us Once service, you can register the death online: www.gov.uk/tell-us-once.

The National Association of Funeral Directors can help find a funeral director near you: www.nafd.org.uk – Tel: 0845 230 1343.

The National Society of Allied & Independent Funeral Directors has a list of independent funeral directors: www.saif.org.uk – Tel: 0845 230 6777.

The British Humanist Association lists humanist (non-religious) funeral celebrants: www.humanism.org.uk – Tel: 020 7324 3060.

The Natural Death Centre has advice, information and resources for those planning to organise a funeral themselves: www.naturaldeath.org.uk – Tel: 01962 712690.

The Citizen’s Advice Bureau offers advice from trained and professional volunteers. Visit the website at www.citizensadvice.org.uk, or call 08454 040506.

To find a solicitor, visit the Law Society website at www.lawsociety.org.uk, or call 020 7242 1222.

Free legal information and guidance is also available from Community Legal Services: www.clsdirect.org.uk.

To find out if you qualify for Legal Aid, call the Civil Legal Advice (CLA) service on 0845 345 4345, or visit www.gov.uk/civil-legal-advice.

The Probate service is run by the Ministry of Justice. Information and application forms are available online at www.justice.gov.uk/courts/probate, or call the Probate and Inheritance Tax Helpline on 0300 123 1072. There’s a free guide to probate here: www.justice.gov.uk/courts/probate/obtain-probate.

There are many sources of information, help and guidance on Inheritance Tax.

To find lost bank and savings accounts, a free service is offered by www.mylostaccount.org.uk.

Find a tax accountant through the Chartered Institute of Taxation here: www.tax.org.uk.

Find out what short-term financial help after bereavement here: www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/bereavement.

Turn2Us is a charity that helps people in financial need. Their website is at www.turn2us.org.uk/, or call 0808 802 2000.

Cruse Bereavement Care: www.cruse.org.uk offers face-to-face individual and group support. The helpline is on 0844 477 9400.

The Compassionate Friends: www.tcf.org.uk provides specialist support to people grieving the death of young children. Helpline: 0845 123 2304.

Winston’s Wish: www.winstonswish.org.uk (helpline 08452 03 04 05) provides support and services to bereaved young children and their families throughout the UK.

Mind is a mental health charity offering support and information on bereavement and grief. Find them here: www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/bereavement, or call the Infoline on 0300 123 3393.

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide: www.uk-sobs.org.uk is a national organisation that offers support to people bereaved in this way.

Age UK has free online guides to help with grief and bereavement, as well as a befriending service: www.ageuk.org.uk/health-wellbeing/relationships-and-family/bereavement – Tel: 0800 169 6565.

Widowed And Young (WAY) offers peer to peer support for those who tragically lose their partner before their 51st birthday. Find them here: www.widowedandyoung.org.uk

Further reading

There are many book, publications and guides – so many that it can be hard to know where to start. This is a list of some useful books and online guides.

Life After Loss, by Bob Deits (£9.99)

The Mourning Handbook, by Helen Fitzgerald (£9.99)

‘You’ll Get Over It’: The Rage of Bereavement, by Virginia Ironside (£8.99)

Straight Talk About Death for Teenagers, by Earl A Grollman (15.99)

The Early Days of Grieving, by Derek Nuttall (5.95)

The Tibetan Book of the Dead (£12.99)

Fiction, poetry and memoir

The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion (£8.99)

A Grief Observed, by CS Lewis (£7.99)

A Scattering, by Christopher Reid (£7.99)

The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing, ed. Kevin Young (£20)

Free guides and leaflets

Has Someone Died? Restoring Hope Download from Cruse Bereavement Care.

Bereavement: Support After a Death, published by AgeUK.

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