An increase in donations due to less people being able to attend funerals in person as well as more awareness of charities needing extra support has been recorded by Southern Co-op. The independent co-operative operates branches in Frome and Warminster.
With less people able to attend funerals in person in 2020, more donations were made online in memory of loved ones in, according to figures from the co-operative.
A total of £12,535 was gifted from 310 donations via a free online memorials, a feature provided by The Co-operative Funeralcare branches.
Despite only a slight rise in the number of funerals, this was an increase from £3,038 donated in 2019 from 66 donations.
Steve Pearce, Chief Operating Officer for funeral services at Southern Co-op, said: “Just under 300 charities received donations through our online memorial tributes. The majority of these will have been hit hard by the pandemic so the support is likely to be invaluable.
“Sadly, a lot of the families we supported last year were also affected by the pandemic. It‘s difficult to describe the affect it has had on so many but our funeral co-ordinators have done everything they can to lighten people’s burdens and our bereavement care colleagues have been on hand to offer free counselling which has be vital.
“The fact that people are continuing to think of others, despite their own grief, is remarkable and shows the strength we have as communities working together in times of need.”
In Frome and Warminster, people gave an average of £40 per donation via the online memorial feature which also allows friends and family to set up a personal tribute page, to light virtual candles, share memories, stories, photos and videos of loved ones.
Local charities which people donated to included Dorothy House Hospice which received £5,678; Friends of the Royal United Hospitals Bath which received £808; Friends of Frome Hospital which received £185; and Salisbury District Hospital’s Charity Stars Appeal which received £1,701.
Jonathan Davies, Chief Executive of MuchLoved, the bereavement charity that provides the online tribute platform, said: “2020 was an incredibly difficult year for everyone, not least those bereaved and the funeral industry working tirelessly to care for them.
“We are delighted that Southern Co-op branches were able to use the MuchLoved platform to help those families, and that so much has been raised for such worthy causes.
“Since the start of our partnership together, more than £1 million has been raised for charitable causes, which is an incredible milestone to have achieved. We look forward to working together to continue this success in the future.
A total of £450,766 was donated by families in the south of England in 2020 via the free online service offered by Southern Co-op.