Virtual funerals

We have attended two virtual funerals for the reasons of distance you mentioned.

For both we were given an online link which took us to the web page for the livestream of the funerals.Both funerals were also available to watch later as well if you are unable to watch them at the time.

I am sorry you are going through this difficult time?

I've also just attended a virtual funeral on a webcast. I feel it's so much better than in the first lockdown when only the immediate family could attend. I felt I was supporting the family this way, I wrote a note after to say I had and about it, and for distant family who couldn't travel, it was good too.

Yes I did in January. You are sent a link from the organisers that enables you to join 5 mins or so before the start. It worked well. Sad times though.

This botheres me a lot. My parent in laws are both in their nineties and live in Greater Manchester and we live on the south coast. As Manchester has always had much bigger Covid rates than us, I’ve felt all through this crisis that I would rather not attend their funerals if the worst should happen. Equally my own mother lives down here now, near us, is also in her nineties, and should the worst happen, lots of relatives from the north west would want to attend the funeral. To be honest, both scenarios are a nightmare to me, even though we’re fully vaccinated now and embracing many things that were previously unavailable to us.
Newattis I’m sorry to hear about your relative, but have no experience of virtual funerals at all, but am interested in the experiences of others.

I’d just like to point out that not all areas in Greater Manchester have high rates of infection. Where I live, our rates have consistently been much lower than the national average as I’m in the very outskirts of Stockport almost in Cheshire ( we were part of Cheshire until there were changes to the boundaries some years ago). I am very unlikely to come into contact with the virus and bring it with me to the south coast!

I think your fears are valid if your in laws live in hot spot areas but not necessarily because they live in Greater Manchester. Can you tell I’m fed up with being labelled “unclean” by some of the newspapers?

Oh I do understand that Teacheanne, and what you say is very helpful. My parents in law live in Stockport and their funerals (hopefully not yet) would be held in Stockport, with family attending from Stockport, Manchester, and Greater Manchester. With my own mother, it’s less clear cut as you say. Some relatives in Warrington, some in rural Cheshire. None in Stockport for her. We are fully vaccinated, and most of the attendees would be too, so I don’t know why I worry. I’ve been getting back to normal myself, meals out etc. And I travelled up to London last week and felt very safe. Hardly anyone on the train or tube. Nonetheless we’ve been asked not to travel into the Greater Manchester area so I feel we shouldn’t at this time, although a visit to my in laws is long overdue, and we had just started to discuss going up to see them when this happened.
Virtual funerals would seem to be the way forward for a while yet probably.

I have attended one or two. In fact that is what I was doing earlier today.
I have found them very well done. You are standing there, can hear, and join in the service.
You get useful information from the company providing the service. (Obitus )which is clear, works and you are advised to go into the site early to familiarise yourself. This takes you to a restful picture .I would not worry about it. You are there , taking part ;the only difference is that you cannot talk to other people after.Hope this helps.

I have watched two virtual funerals on my laptop and found it an excellent way to see the proceedings if you can't attend. The camera is fixed in position so you view everything that is going on down to the first couple of rows of seats.

At the moment numbers at funerals are what is allowed by the crematorium or church.