Tandem hearse found to fulfil man's dying wish

A funeral company in Dorset will deliver the rare hearse to the Midlands on Friday morning

A tandem hearse has been found following an appeal to fulfil a man's dying wish of "one last ride with his friends".

Birmingham firm A Natural Undertaking told BBC Radio WM earlier this week that the man, whose funeral is on Friday, wanted his friends to do a four-mile ride with his body to the spot where he would be buried.

It put out an appeal after a tandem hearse it had planned to use needed repairs.

Kerri Deeley, from the company, said she had been inundated with responses over the past few days and a firm from Dorset had come to the rescue.

She said Dorset Carriage Masters had offered to deliver the specialised bike on Friday morning, ahead of the man's final ride.

Tandem hearses can either have two riders with a coffin attached to the side, or four riders with a coffin on a platform in the middle.

Ms Deeley said people from all around the country had been in touch, having found a similar hearse or offering ideas on how to make one.

Many cycling groups contacted the company to offer their help, including a group in Suffolk, who mentioned the appeal during their club meeting on Tuesday.

'Not a taboo any more'

Ms Deeley said it was "a really good feeling" to be able to fulfil the man's final wishes.

She also praised the response to the appeal, suggesting that it proved that informing your family of what you want "isn't a taboo any more".

The funeral company often works with people who are terminally ill and want to plan a unique funeral.

"What better way, if he was a biker, than to go on a pushbike to his final resting place," Ms Deeley added.