City folk smiles better at dealing with death

DESPITE often being dubbed the most miserable people in the country it seems that Brummies actually smile in the face of death according to surprising figures released this week.

When asked, the majority of city people said that they would rather funerals become happy occasions that sombre affairs. In fact, 36% of Birmingham people stated that they would prefer upbeat music such as pop or rock to be played at their funeral with Eric Idle’s ‘Always Look On The Bright Side of Life’ topping the top ten list of funeral songs.

The research, released by charity consortium Remember a Charity, also revealed that over half of Brummies would like to be buried in an environmentally friendly coffin such as a wicker casket.

Other less-than-traditional last wishes identified in the research include a desire from those over 65 to be cryogenically frozen (32%) and a wish from a smaller percentage of 16-24 year olds who would like people to come to their funeral dressed as comic book heroes (12%).

The enlightening figures, which looked at current attitudes to funeral arrangements were commissioned to support Remember A Charity’s latest television advertising campaign that seeks to encourage more people to leave gifts to charity in their wills.

The humorous advertisement portrays the last wishes of a deceased ice cream vendor who wanted his ice cream van to be his hearse.

Funeral Director Barry Albin-Dyer commented on the research: “Having seen and planned thousands of funerals, I know that everyone wants to leave a lasting legacy in their own way – some plan traditional send offs and others favour the more bizarre, just like the unusual last wishes depicted in Remember A Charity’s latest advertising campaign.

“These days when it comes to funerals, your final wishes are endless, but it's important to get it right when it comes to a fitting memorial. It isn’t surprising that increasingly more people would like to be buried in a ‘green’ coffin – it’s a sign of the times that people want to be environmentally friendly from beyond the grave.”

Stephen George, Chair of Remember A Charity also added: “Although this research and the advertising campaign takes a light-hearted look at funerals and last wishes, there is a more serious message at play here. Another important last wish for a growing number of people is to leave a gift to charity in their will. These gifts form the economic foundations of the charity sector, raising nearly £2 billion every year.

“Remembering a charity in your will, after you have looked after your friends and family, makes a real difference to charities and helps their invaluable work live on.”

Erik Idle (pictured) topped the list of Birmingham's favourite funeral songs with 'Always Look On The Bright Side of Life'