Yorkshire funeral directors are asking people to observe this tradition during the coronavirus lockdown

Funeral directors are encouraging people in Yorkshire to revive the tradition of stopping and bowing upon seeing a funeral hearse as a mark of respect during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Central England Co-op Funeralcare is asking people in Yorkshire to help families pay their respects to loved ones during this uncertain time.

Among the most heartbreaking restrictions imposed during lockdown are the ones made on the way funerals are conducted, including limiting the number of people able who can attend services.

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So Margo Gasston, Funeral Director at Central England Co-op Funeralcare, has issued a plea for people to come together and help those who have lost someone close to them by stopping and bowing their heads as a mark of respect if they see a hearse in the street.

Margo Gasston (photo: Central England Co-op Funeralcare).Margo Gasston (photo: Central England Co-op Funeralcare).
Margo Gasston (photo: Central England Co-op Funeralcare).

Ms Gasston said: “We are working 24 hours a day to support families at their time of need but changes have had to be put in place following advice and guidance from the Government.

“We are working to do all we can to support our families at this difficult time but we feel these measures have to be put in place to protect them and our colleagues.

“These are circumstances that none of us could have imagined, but it continues to be our privilege to support families at this difficult time.

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“This is why we are asking people while they are in their front room, front garden or out on their daily exercise to, if they see a funeral hearse, to please stop and bow their head in a show of respect for the loved one who has passed away and in support of their family during this difficult time.”

Central England Co-op Funeralcare has made several changes to the way it works, including restricting access to funeral home, stopping providing limousines to comply with social distancing advice and encouraging the use of wheeled trolleys instead of shouldering coffins.

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