Bearing the coffin  

This is an important practical matter and is certainly an area where a funeral director will help you. If you are considering carrying the coffin yourselves, your funeral director will be able to advise you in detail how to go about this and will often offer to bring a reserve team of bearers.

If you are carrying the coffin yourselves, decide how the coffin will be transported from the parking area to the grave. We recommend that the coffin is carried at a low level, underarm rather than on the shoulders, by four to six bearers; leather gloves are a good idea to prevent knuckles rubbing. Remember that ground conditions might be uneven and muddy so stout, non-slip footwear is strongly recommended.

Further advice on setting up the coffin at the graveside and lowering it into the grave is available from your funeral director or from us on request.