A WORLE funeral director is hitting back at ‘too expensive’ funerals by providing a subsidised service for those who die under the age of 30.

The average cost of funerals has risen to about £3,200 – 80 per cent higher than it was 10 year ago.

Nigel Groves, of Nigel Groves Funeral Directors, says the death of a younger person can be particularly difficult financially as often the family is not prepared.

He is now offering funerals at cost price for under-30s, and believes he is the only funeral director in the UK to offer such a package. He also provides free funerals for the families of anyone aged under 18.

Mr Groves opened the new funeral directors, based in Worle High Street, in September this year.

He said: “Funerals are far too expensive generally and we are determined to help local people in any way we can, at a time when foodbank use is rife and finances are tighter than ever.

“Our first contribution to helping deal with funeral poverty is therefore to provide this subsidised funeral service for any person up to 30 years of age at the time of death.

“The death of someone of a younger age normally brings with it a different set of issues with which families have to deal and come to terms with than if the deceased was elderly.

“As caring funeral directors we are not only here to help these families deal with the practical issues, but also to stand by their side, giving support and guidance to help them through this most difficult time.”

Mr Groves has also taken to social media to campaign against rising funeral costs and raise awareness of funeral poverty.

He said that after more than 10 years working as a manager for a big corporate funeral directors, where he witnessed the hardship caused by charging high fixed costs, he wanted to help out vulnerable people.

He said: “After years in corporate funeral directors, I got fed up with the rising cost of funerals. I am now to use Facebook and Twitter to start a campaign of awareness to show people in Weston it doesn’t have to be this way. It really, really doesn’t.”