‘What’s the difference in sitting in a place of worship and a village hall?’
As new rules come into effect regarding the number of people allowed at funerals and wakes, Fahad Tariq explains the regulations and speaks to some of those businesses who are affected
GRIEVING families are having to frantically make new arrangements after being told only 15 mourners can attend their loved one’s wake.
The number of people allowed to attend a wake has been slashed in half in new coronavirus safety measures.
Government rules had meant 30 people could attend a funeral and wake in England, but this week’s rule changes mean only 15 are now able to attend the wake.
The new rules come after England has been split into a three tier lockdown rule system.
After the new rules were announced, we received a mixed response from funeral services about what they think.
Dolven Funeral Services, based in Biddulph, were due to have a wake of 30 mourners yesterday, but because of the new rules, they can no longer do that.
Owner Ryan Dolven said: “If 30 people can go to a place of worship that’s alright, but if you go to a sports club or pub then you can only have 15, it’s causing a lot of upset.
“It’s making funerals that little bit harder for families to deal with because loved ones can’t have the send off they want.
“A lot of families have got more than 15 members that are close family, so it’s difficult to pick and choose who will go.
“We are having people saying why can 30 people go to a church
service, what’s the difference between sitting in a place of worship and then sitting in a pub or a village hall?
“People are confused about the rules, it’s very up and down, they are listening to chinese whispers and nobody knows what the right procedure is.”
Mark Boulton and his Stoke-onTrent family business, Harold H Leese, will hit their 100th year of providing funerals this year.
They were due to open a
refurbished function suite next month but are now reconsidering.
Mark said: “The whole situation is upsetting because our role is to help people through a really difficult time, probably the most difficult they are ever going to face and yet we have to enforce restrictions on them.
“If it’s still 15 I don’t think it will be viable to open it at the moment despite the fact that we are having it fully refurbished and it will be a beautiful venue.
“It’s a pandemic and we accept these are unusual circumstances. As a business we have to make sure and look at everything so we can still function.
“Ideally, I would be happy if more people were allowed. If pubs are able to stay open and have more than 15 people in, I don’t quite see how it follows that we are restricted to 15 just because it’s classed as a celebration of someone’s life after a funeral; that’s probably where I do need clarification on.”
Other funeral services found that not many families are having wakes due to the restrictions.
Tim Mcgough, director of C Mcgough and Sons in Tunstall, said: “The restrictions already in place have meant that fewer people have actually been having wakes.
“A lot of families are considering having celebrations of somebody’s life when the restrictions are fully lifted.”
WR Bettelley, of Longton, have not had any wake requests since the beginning of the lockdown.
Employee Josh Rushton said: “It’s a strange time and I imagine it’s because they want more people to be at the wake.
“If you put all 30 members of your family at a funeral but then you are only allowed half of those to go to a wake, why would you bother putting people through the stress of having to pick and choose who goes and who stays?”