Relieved Rotherham son hit with funeral delays can finally bury mum 14 weeks on

Pete Sanderson (pictured) said he had been to the “darkest of places” after being passed around the benefit system since his mother Brenda died aged 76 on December 7 last year — a week after being diagnosed with leukaemia.

The Advertiser previously hold how Mr Sanderson was unable to fund her funeral and had only received £12 in Universal Credit last month after deductions were made.

Misinformation from the Department for Work and Pensions over whether Mr Sanderson was eligible for a funeral grant led to delays which were only cleared up after the Advertiser stepped in.

And Mr Sanderson, who had been his mother’s full-time carer for 17 years, was still left in a stalemate after the DWP said he needed a funeral date before he could be considered for the grant — which he was unable to fix without a deposit of at least £1,000.

Now Mr Sanderson (49), of Thorpe Hesley, has told of his relief after Rotherham Hospital’s bereavement department stepped in and offered to hold a “hospital funeral” at Rotherham Crematorium on Monday.

“They (the hospital) just wanted proof I had tried all other avenues and needed confirmation that the DWP wasn’t going to help,” said Mr Sanderson.

“Now I feel a lot happier — I have been to the darkest of places because things were not moving. 

“I feel happy, relieved, that things are now moving and I can now get some closure with the funeral."

After the Advertiser published Mr Sanderson’s story, a generous reader came forward and offered to cover the cost of the funeral. 

The Rotherham woman contacted the newsroom and said she had been so upset by Mr Sanderson’s plight that she had wanted to give an anonymous donation of thousands of pounds.

The woman, who was in her 50s and a churchgoer, said: “I just feel sorry for him — he's in a right state.

“I have had to bury my husband recently and my mum and they were all provided for — this poor chap.”

When the Advertiser informed Mr Sanderson of the offer he said he had been “completely stunned” by her kindness, which he said offered him "hope".

A second donor also came forward last week after reading the article, while another rang to ask if she could set up a fundraising page for the funeral.

Angela Wood, chief nurse at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, confirmed the trust was undertaking a hospital-contracted funeral for Mrs Sanderson, adding that it had held seven such services in the past six months.

She added: “NHS Trusts have a statutory obligation to arrange a funeral for patients who die in hospital under various circumstances, such as where a patient dies in hospital without any record of a next of kin or person to contact, or where the bereaved relatives indicate they may have financial difficulties in paying for the funeral and are not eligible for Social Fund Funeral Payments/DWP funding.”