Mourning glory! The firms putting the fun into funeral

WHEN Dan Jones moved away from London last year, he knew his father Roger, who was living in a care home in the capital, was likely to die soon. Jones needed a funeral plan, and after years of his father battling dementia, he didn't want a gloomy affair. Instead, he dreamed of something people would look forward to, a celebration of his life. "Maybe selfishly I also wanted to have a nice time," says Jones, who discovered alternative funeral directors Exit Here.

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With Exit Here's help, Jones got what he wanted. Instead of sitting in a faceless crematorium, Roger's loved ones sipped champagne at Mortlake rowing club on the Thames, entertained by his favourite jazz band. Everyone got a bespoke booklet full of references to Roger's love of Doctor Who and Waitrose, and even received "merch" - button badges with his favourite quotes on. Everyone agreed the upbeat, cheerful tone was just right.

"Ultimately, it was an event that he would have loved to attend," says Jones.

It seems Jones isn't the only one put off by the idea of a downbeat occasion.

Anyone who saw footage of Shane MacGowan's service will know funerals can be stirring, with Nick Cave playing and Glen Hansard performing a version of Fairytale of New York that had people dancing in the aisles. But that was far from the norm and a study released last month by religion think tank Theos found that 47 per cent of Britons said they did not want a funeral, instead opting for a quick cremation. The study found costs play a part, but mostly blamed our loss of religion. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said it shows we are forgetting how to "cope with loss" as a society.