Before you read any further, please accept our condolences if you are reading this because you have recently lost someone.
Arranging a funeral is never an easy task and one of the duties that needs to be carried out is to tell people about the funeral.
The family notices sections of local newspapers have traditionally been the place to do this and the Newcastle Chronicle and Journal remain very proud to provide this service for our North East readers.
We also carry funeral notices online so that readers can share the information on social media and make it as easy as possible for friends, relatives, colleagues and the wider community to access all the details they need to pay their respects.
Our online funeral notices section can be found here and in our newspapers you will find our family notices published daily towards the back of the paper.
How to place a funeral notice in the paper
This can all be done online, although you are still welcome to call in to our offices if you prefer - we are based at Eldon Court, Percy Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7JB and our reception can be accessed 9-5 Monday to Friday.
You can also call us on 0191 206 7123 to place your notice and our staff will talk you through every step of the way.
To place your notice online, click on this link first of all.
Choose the type of notice, which for a funeral is Bereavement Notices and then Death Notices . (You can also place in memoriam notices to remember loved ones on their anniversaries.)
You will then be asked to choose the look and style of your notice from a selection of templates, which include with or without a picture, online only, or to appear in both the Chronicle and Journal newspapers.
How much does it cost?
The lowest cost you'll pay is £36 including VAT and the price goes up depending on the number of words, how many times you want the notice to appear in print, and the style of notice.
A photo is included free of charge but is optional so you don't have to include one if you don't want to.
A single notice to appear online, plus once in the Chronicle and once in The Journal will cost a minimum of around £50 for nine lines of text (around 20 words), with additional lines charged at a cost of around £5 per line.
An average funeral notice length is around 50 words, or 20 lines, and this will cost you around £110 for a single insert in both newspapers and a listing online.
A longer notice of around 75 words will cost you around £150 for a single insert in both newspapers and a listing online.
For your notice to appear in both papers twice, the starting price is around £80 for the first nine lines and then around £10 per additional line, so a 50-word notice would cost around £180.
Our online tool will calculate the cost as you write your notice into the field provided, so you'll know exactly what you're being charged before you go ahead. It will also give you a preview of your notice so you can see exactly how it will appear in print.
What information do you have to provide?
Once you've decided on style, placement and been given the confirmed cost of your notice, the online system will ask you to enter the following information:
- Surname and forename(s) of the deceased - this information appears first, in block capitals, at the top of your notice
- Maiden name and nickname, if applicable - this will appear underneath the name, in brackets
- Area name, e.g. North Shields - this appears in brackets at the very start of your notice, and is there so readers can see at a glance notices from their local area
- Your message, which can be up to 2,200 characters long (about words)
- Your relationship to the deceased - this won't be published but helps us know where to place the notice, for instance notices organised by funeral directors appear in a specific location separate to those arranged by family members directly
How to write the notice
It is difficult and upsetting to decide how to phrase a funeral notice, but it can be helpful to discuss it as a family and make sure everyone is happy with the wording.
The key thing to remember is that you are providing information for people who might want to attend the funeral so make sure you know all the following before you start:
- When and where your loved one passed away - for example, you could write "peacefully in hospital after an illness"
- When and where the funeral service is, including time
- Whether there's a private family burial/cremation after the service, or whether everyone is welcome
- Whether there's a wake or reception afterwards, and the time/location of this
- Whether the family would like flowers, and if so whether they want them sent directly to the funeral home
- Sometimes families prefer donations to a chosen charity rather than flowers
Have a look at our online section for death notices to see some examples to help you get started.
When and where your notice will appear
The final step is to choose the date for your notice to be published. Aim for enough time in advance of the funeral for people to make arrangements to attend - usually around a week to ten days is best.
The site will then ask you to register a few details and you can make payment online - the website offers a secure payment.
Your notice will be published in your choice of the Chronicle and/or Journal on the date(s) specified, and online permanently here .
The notices have to appear online, but you can choose whether they are printed in the Chronicle, Journal or both.
