A WHITEFIELD funeral director is the first in Bury to sign up to the Fair Funerals pledge.

Mr Paul Williams, who runs his own funeral business in Bury New Road, has made the pledge, calling on the industry and the Government to give better support to people in funeral poverty.

The Fair Funerals pledge has been launched by anti-poverty charity Quaker Social Action (QSA) and invites funeral directors to commit to offering an affordable funeral for people who are struggling financially and to make this visible to the public by displaying prices.

QSA wants clearer pricing and more choice so people know what they are buying when arranging a funeral and can choose a simple funeral with a low cost coffin if they wish.

Mr Williams said: "As a Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) member, we are already committed to explaining our costs and providing a choice of prices, including the availability of a simple, low cost funeral. We have been very happy to sign the Fair Funerals pledge.”

Alun Tucker, SAIF executive chairman, commented: “The members of SAIF are independent funeral directors based in local communities across the UK who are committed to being open, honest and fair about funeral costs, so it’s only natural they’ll want to support this campaign.”

Quaker Social Action’s Fair Funeral’s campaigner, Heather Kennedy, added: “Funerals have become much more expensive at the same time as support from the state has dried up. The Fair Funerals pledge helps people access funerals they can afford and we are working with local communities across the UK to raise the profile of the pledge in their area.”

For details of the Fair Funerals campaign: see http://www.quakersocialaction.org.