Old friends and colleagues of Des Lowther questioned why his body had been allowed to wait two months without a public health funeral being arranged
20:26, 01 Dec 2025Updated 20:26, 01 Dec 2025
Des Lowther – who died on October 2. Friends are angry at a two-month wait for his funeral after public authorities didn’t take responsibility.(Image: chroniclelive)
Friends of a Northumberland man who died two months ago but has spent that time in a hospital mortuary have hit out at the fact that no public authority has taken responsibility for his funeral. Des Lowther, 68, died of bowel cancer on October 2.
The former charity worker from Prudhoe had no next-of-kin – and friend Lisa Botto told ChronicleLive how upsetting it had been that no-one stepped up to pay for his funeral. She claimed that neither the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust nor Newcastle City Council had been willing to fund what is known as a “public health” funeral.
This is usually direct cremation. Now, two months later, Des’ friends have been able to – thanks to Barclays Bank agreeing to release the remaining funds in Des’ account and a crowdfunding page set up in recent days – pay for a cremation, but they said this should never have been on them, and that the state should have helped.
Lisa said: “We have been left fuming at this situation. I worked with Des for ten years at a charity. He had had numerous health problems including cancer three times. He had bowel cancer and he died on October 2.
“He was left with very little money as he had never claimed anything in terms of benefits. He was from Prudhoe but died in the RVI – and no-one has wanted to deal with his cremation.
“This is a man who worked all his life. He needed a funeral. He’s a man who worked all his life and the only thing he’s ever had is his state pension.
“He was such a lovely man who did a lot for others. He worked for the NE Refugee Service for 20 years and prior to that he had been a nurse. He had cancer on and off for years and we have been so upset by this.”
She said that Des had been left without dignity and said that she and other friends had been upset by the way both the hospital trust and city council had handled this.
Lisa added: “It’s taken more than two months to give the man some dignity. He was such a lovely person. He should not have been left for two months with the council not willing to give him a public health funeral.”
A public health funeral is, according to the guidance on the gov.uk website, held “provided by local authorities for people who have passed away and have no next of kin, or whose next of kin, relatives or friends are unable or unwilling to make the necessary arrangements for a funeral”.
This continues: “They are designed to protect public health and are important in ensuring that all individuals are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their circumstances.”
The guidance also highlights: “For deaths that occur in hospital, NHS Trusts are advised to develop their own policy which takes into account their local authority protocol and work together to ensure a respectful burial or cremation as efficiently as possible.”
When asked about Des’ case, Newcastle City Council highlighted its own guidance page. The council’s guidance says: “We have a duty to dispose of a deceased body under the provisions of the National Assistance and the Public Health (Control of Disease) Acts 1948, if the person who died has no assets or if there are no relatives who can make funeral arrangements.
“Hospitals and care homes may also be able to help if the person dies while in their care. Initial contact is usually through the Coroner.
“If the next of kin is known, contact will be made to establish if they will accept responsibility. Legal responsibility for married couples rests with the spouse, and for children it rests with the parents.”
The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust has been approached for comment.
Details of why no public body had arranged for Des’ funeral have not been disclosed. The GoFundMe in memory of Des remains available here.
ChronicleLive has created a dedicated WhatsApp community for breaking news and our biggest stories. You can join this WhatsApp community here. It will keep you up-to-date with news as it breaks and our top stories of the day sent directly to your phone.