CUSTARD PIE FIGHT AT MY FUNERAL

HE average cost of a funeral in Yorkshire and the North East is £3,744, according to SunLife.

And yet, despite the outlay, those organising the send-off often don’t know what sort of funeral the dearly departed want.

Ian Atkinson, head of brand at SunLife, said: “It is terrible to think almost £4,000 could be spent on the wrong funeral so make sure your wishes are known.”

He added: “Almost nine in 10 people would not choose a hymn but most funerals still include them. This mean there is a breakdown of communication.”

Their research showed 77% of over-50s in Yorkshire and the North East would prefer pop, rock or classical music. Top of the charts was Look On The Bright Side of Life followed by Abide With Me and Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven. Others in the top 20 include Another One Bites The Dust, Bohemian Rhapsody, I Want To Break Free, We Are The Champions and Who Wants To Live Forever.

SunLife have collaborated with the charity Dying Matters to launch www.myperfectsendoff.co.uk, a website where you can record your funeral wishes.

Your send-off is, of course, for those who are left behind. Many would hope mourners would remember them with a smile and have a laugh, which is one reason to choose ironic music such as the Countdown theme tune or Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here.

I’m thinking of going the whole hog and having a fun-themed funeral with a circus clown hearse that the doors fall off on arrival at the crematorium.

Charlie Chaplin pall bearers, a stand-up comic for the eulogy (he’s already booked) and a custard pie fight to end as the Loony Tunes theme music plays. That’s All Folks!