Every years funeral directors across the nation are frustrated by the SunLife 'Cost of Dying' report, which doesn't seem to truly capture what it promises.

So this year, The National Society Of Allied And Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) has aimed to address this with a new report titled 'What is the real average cost of a funeral in the UK in 2024?'

In this episode, Dec Maguire – both National and Scottish president of the society – discusses the report with host Malcolm Flanders. They look at the methodology behind the project, the hidden impact of direct cremation, and the interesting generational changes in how we approach end of life.

Our current focus on multigenerational funeral firms this week takes us to Douch Family Funeral Directors in Dorset, UK.

The family business was founded in 1910 by Frederick Charles Douch and grown by his eldest son, Jack. A talismanic figure not only for the company but in the wider Dorset area, Jack played a key role as a telegrapher on the wartime destroyer Bramham, before becoming a prominent batsman for Wimborne Cricket Club.

It's Jack’s grandson Nick – our guest this episode – who heads up the business today, maintaining its well-established reputation and strong relationships with other funeral directors.

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The View is hosted by Malcolm Flanders and brought to you by Golden Leaves. You can find many more conversations in the on the show page, with key industry figures from the NAFD and SAIF, along with the funeral directors behind The Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

This week on The View we welcome Tim Purvis, owner, chairman and director of William Purvis Funeral Directors to the show. William Purves is a business that is family owned and goes back five generations, based in Edinburgh but extending into the North East of England.

William Purves prides itself on delivering a caring service for all families across its locations, but also has a strong connection to the Royal Family, and among other topics in this episode we hear what it was like to provide the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

The View is hosted by Malcolm Flanders and brought to you by Golden Leaves.