The following article was published in the January 2012 edition of "Life Times" a magazine produce by Age Concern - Cardiff and The Vale of Glamorgan.

An organisation who help and support older people, especially those who are vulnerable, isolated, and in poverty, who are resident in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. The magazine can be found on Age Concern's website or via the following link

http://www.age-concern-cardiff.org.uk/aw-news.pdf.

Looking to the future - Planning your funeral, by Liz Bettles

People often find it difficult to think and talk about planning for the death of a loved one. However by planning in advance you are able to take control of what you would like to see happen and take away the stress and worry that family and friends may face at what maybe a very difficult time for them. Planning in advance takes away the stresses that can sometimes divide families at an already difficult time — they don't have to work out what sort of service or ceremony that they think you might have wanted because you have already organised it. You can decide while the event is (hopefully) a long way off whether you prefer burial or cremation — and if cremation, what you would like to happen to your remains afterwards, and whether you want a "green" or traditional funeral. You can choose the music you would like (and there are some very varied approaches to this), whether you want a religious or non—religious service, press notices, flowers, donations to charity  and you can ask questions and get answers now. It means that most importantly, you make the decisions about what you want. Planning and paying for your funeral in advance has further advantages for your family: —they will not have to worry about how they will pay for your funeral; and the biggest advantage is that all the costs within the Funeral Directors control will be fixed at today's prices. Funeral costs are expected to rise over the next few years, and it may be difficult to judge if your insurance policy will cover future funeral costs. So don’t put this issue on the back—burner — do something about it now. Your family may not want to talk about it, but they will thank you in time.

Green Willow Funerals is an independent Funeral Director serving Cardiff, The Vale of Glamorgan, Newport & South Wales. It is a member of the National Association of Funeral Directors and specialises in ensuring that their caring service meets your personal needs. It is unique in that all profits from the business are donated to the Cardiff YMCA to support their good works. All Funeral Plans taken out with Green Willow Funerals are lodged with Golden Charter Funeral Plans UK's largest independent funeral plan provider.