It would seem that gravestones, memorial plaques and remembrance trees are a thing of the past, as modern brits fancy more of a memorable send off.
New research by life insurance company DeadHappy has shown that half of Brits would like to be remembered in a fun, alternative way after they die, rather than a traditional one.
The data shows that 37 per cent of people think that named benches are old fashioned, and 26 per cent think that gravestones are outdated.
So, how exactly do we want to be remembered? Well, there’s the option of having our ashes made in diamonds, or how about having our ashes made into fireworks?
In fact, 25 per cent of us like the idea of being made into a diamond, 15 per cent want our ashes to be made into extravagant fireworks and 12 per cent want to be sent to space.
One in ten would quite fancy a Viking funeral with their body sent out to sea on a flaming boat, whereas five per cent want to be cryogenically frozen with six per cent then wanting to be stuffed by a taxidermist.
The most popular choice is to send someone we love on a holiday of a lifetime with no expense spared though, as 50 per cent of Brits would opt for this choice over any of the others.
Phil Zeidler, co-founder of DeadHappy, said: “Death has had a bad rep for a long time now. It’s often viewed as depressing or sad, and something we should avoid discussing.
“In fact, our research confirms that, despite the grand ideas we have for our own memorials, many people still find talking about death difficult. So much so, Brits would rather talk about politics, religion and even our toilet habits than we would about dying.
“But the fact is, it’s going to happen to all of us at some point, so taking a responsible approach by ensuring we have the right protection plans in place – like life insurance – is key.”
He continued: “Planning for your afterlife can also be interesting and inspiring. As well as covering the basics like your mortgage payments and childcare, you can now inject some of your personality into it too - so if getting stuffed by a taxidermist is your thing, it can actually become a reality.”
