From a Greggs sausage roll to Dyson hoover box: Edinburgh funeral firm's quirky coffin designs

Suggested designs also include the Doctor Who Tardis, a pint of Tennent's Lager and a bottle of Bell's whisky.

Scotland reporter @Jenster13

Thursday 1 June 2023 14:01, UK

A funeral firm is hoping to "break the taboo" of talking about death by offering custom-made coffins, which includes a casket designed like a Greggs sausage roll.

Bosses at Go As You Please say no ideas are off limits to help make a difficult day a little lighter.

Suggested designs include the Doctor Who Tardis, a pint of Tennent's Lager and a bottle of Bell's whisky.

There's also Star Wars, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Harry Potter and Only Fools and Horses designs to help spark ideas.

The firm - which has branches in the north-east of England and in Edinburgh in Scotland - said the coffins are built to the needs of each individual customer.

Scott Purvis, general manager at the company, told Sky News a Dyson box was created for someone who had a history of repairing old hoovers.

Another coffin was made from old pallets in tribute to a man who used scrap pieces of wood to create useful things for his shed.

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Mr Purvis said: "Most of our coffin designs come from having honest conversations with the person when they are still alive.

"A lot of people are now arranging their own funerals before they die. This gives them a chance to break the taboo of talking about death with their families.

"It also gives them the opportunity to have exactly the funeral they want and to take the burden off the family when the time comes."

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Mr Purvis said the displays in branch windows are a conversation starter.

He added: "[It] isn't out of disrespect but to show the public what can be done and what we can offer.

"When it comes to the bespoke picture coffins, I would say we're not dealing with novelty, we're dealing with individuality.

"We encourage families to design their own coffins and even get involved with making the coffins.

"We have had numerous families create photo montages of family photos through the years, bringing the family together to stick the photos onto the blank coffin."