The £4,000 cost of saying goodbye: event highlights hidden burdens of bereavement

From funeral bills to mountains of paperwork, researchers from The University of Manchester are inviting people to explore the financial and practical realities of losing a loved one at a free event.

Losing someone you love is devastating, but alongside the grief, bereaved families face a daunting list of practical tasks - from paying funeral bills and dealing with banks to completing paperwork, contacting organisations and navigating unfamiliar systems.

With the average funeral costing around £4,000, the financial pressure can add to an already difficult time. And money is only part of the burden: dealing with a death can also demand huge amounts of time, energy and emotional strength.

Now, researchers at The University of Manchester are inviting people to shine a light on these often-overlooked challenges at a free event exploring what happens after someone dies.

The Hidden Costs of Dying takes place at HOME on Tuesday 3 November, as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science. Led by sociologists Sophie Atherton and Kate Reed, the free event will explore the hidden work of bereavement and why some people face greater challenges than others.

The researchers describe this work as “death administration” - the many practical and administrative tasks that follow a death, often falling to family members and loved ones at a time when they are grieving.

While the cost of a funeral is relatively easy to see, the wider impact can be harder to measure. The time spent sorting out paperwork, the stress of managing financial affairs and the effort required to navigate unfamiliar processes can all take their toll.

At the Manchester event, participants will take part in a creative activity designed to explore these different costs and open up conversations about experiences that are rarely discussed. There is no expectation for anyone to share personal experiences of bereavement.

A representative from the National Bereavement Service will also be available to provide information and signpost people towards further support.

The researchers hope the event will help make the realities of dealing with a death more visible, highlight inequalities in the experiences of bereaved people, and contribute to thinking about how support could be made fairer and more accessible.

Find out more and book your place