In this episode it is my pleasure to talk with Evie King, author of the incredible book Ashes to Admin. I learn from Evie what it means to have a Section 46 council funeral and, most importantly, that nobody is nobody. Evie describes the care and detail that goes into a council funeral dispelling myths about what it means to die alone and sharing what the role has taught her about planning ahead.

Key messages from our discussion

• Evie explains a S46 funeral is regulated by legislation which states, “It shall be the duty of a local authority to cause to be buried or cremated the body of any person who has died or been found dead in their area, in any case where it appears to the authority that no suitable arrangements for the disposal of the body have been or are being made otherwise than by the authority.”

• 1 in 100 funerals carried out in the UK are are council or hospital assisted funerals

• Evie talks about voluntary and involuntary estrangement, willing and unwilling solitude, people who are outcast, financial reasons and displacement as reasons why someone may have an S46 funeral

• We discuss the assumption that everyone has a family

• Evie talks about writing a letter to the future with details about your life and the importance of writing down your wishes

• Evie share powerful stories about the seeing and respecting the person behind the funeral

• Evie shares how she puts out calls to funerals and how great the response often is

Resource

• Access the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 

• Find out about funeral costs  and help with funerals through Quaker Social Action

• Read about  the dedicated QSA funeral project

• Find out about the range of funeral options available via the  natural death page

• Find out more about Evie and her work via link tree Author of Ashes to Admin: Tales from the Caseload of a Council Funeral Officer

• Access information about Aging Without Children AWOC 

• Connect with Evie at:

  • Twitter @EvieKingWrites
    

Bio: 

What happens if you die without family or money? Evie King, or someone like her, will step in. Evie is a former stand up comedian, sometime writer and local government worker who was compelled to publish a memoir about her little known role in dealing with such situations and what they can teach us about life, death and our own 3am fears about legacy and being forgotten.