August 2008

Nobody cared when they were alive or mourned when they died alone

I’m putting the link to this Observer story by Elizabeth Day on a page of its own because it is too detailed and interesting to become lost in the general posts.

One snippet, before you read the rest for yourself:

“Around 200 funerals a month are unattended, a figure set to rise as it is estimated that, by 2010, 16 million people in the UK will live on their own. Where no relatives can be traced, the local authority pays for a basic cremation. Often the deceased’s ashes are disposed of in unmarked graves. Their stories remain untold.”

Read Nobody cared when they were alive or mourned when they died alone here.

Link to the Channel 4 page about the documentary mentioned: First Cut: Watch me Disappear.