Will funerals on Monday 19 be cancelled or moved? We spoke to Chichester funeral homes to find out

The day has been allocated as a national bank holiday and a number of reports online have suggested that other funerals on that day may have been cancelled or moved.

A number of Chichester funeral directors and crematoria have refuted these claims and have said staff are continuing to put families first in honouring the date while other families have personally requested the date of their loved-one’s funeral be moved.

Alison Leggo, funeral directors at F A Holland Funeral Care in Jubilee Road, said all funeral dates are being honoured.

"We are 100 per cent on board with what our families want. Some have asked that the date be moved for them and we have managed to achieve that. Those who want that date to remain will have those dates remain.

“We have been keeping in touch with out families that have had services booked on that day.”

Alison said that all personnel in crematoria, reception venues and florists were ‘on board’ and described them as ‘more than happy’ to look after each family’s wishes.

She added: "Everyone is pulling out all the stops to make sure that those families are being looked after and well supported — It's what we do.”

The case is the same at Dillistone and Wraights Funeral Directors in Spitalfield Lane.

Funeral manager Julie King said any change of dates would be at the family’s behest.

She said: “As a company, we are continuing to honour the dates of all families we are looking after. Any change of of dates has only been the family’s choice.”

Oaklands Funeral Service in Sherbourne Road had no funerals booked in on the Monday so staff will be taking the bank holiday off.

Morgan Cox said: “We are closing but we haven’t changed any dates. We haven’t got any funerals booked in on that date so we will be closing our office due to respect for the Queen.”

Becky Sarkar, office manager at Oaklands Funeral Service, added: “If we did have a funeral on that day, we would have carried on because everybody’s loved one is important.”

The National Association of Funeral Directors said in a statement on social media: “We've been asked if any other funerals will go ahead on Monday September 19. Although work is still ongoing, some funerals will go ahead, others are moving to a different date - led by the needs and wishes of the bereaved families involved.

"Most funeral services booked for September 19 will have been arranged many weeks ago, so funeral directors and cemeteries/crematoria are working with families to find the best approach for each one.”

One report suggested that a vicar had cancelled their appointment to work on the Monday.