A new website has been launched to give individuals the opportunity to plan for their funerals.
Onceivegone.com, designed and built in Cornwall, looks to provide a secure way to set out final wishes and ensure they can do as much as possible to make things easier for loved ones left behind.
It is the brainchild of Ian Dibb of St Austell, who lost both his mother and sister within the space of two years. He explained: “Neither of them had let any of the family know what they would like to happen to them in the event of their deaths. Making difficult decisions on their behalf at an emotional time was really tough and my aim is that onceivegone.com will make things easier for other people dealing with the loss of a loved one.”
He says the website is not morbid, rather a practical and “light-hearted” opportunity to leave messages for people they love.
He added: “The recent high profile deaths of Jade Goody and British actress Natasha Richardson have been shocking reminders of the fragility of life and why it is important to plan for your death at any age, especially if you have children, friends and family you care about.”
Registered users of the free site create an online account in which they can set out detailed funeral arrangements, upload special farewell messages and video clips to be sent out to friends and family after their death. They can also design their own memorial page, decide who they want to leave their personal possessions to and can even nominate who they’d like to haunt!
The site was developed along with Penryn-based web developer Slightly Different.
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