A woman who has worked in the wedding industry for many years has now launched a magazine about dying and funerals.

Sue White, left, has created quarterly publication Farewell Magazine following the death of her father, which aims to provide information and advice on the funeral trade.

The magazine will be published for the first time in January and aims to provide practical, emotional and professional advice for people grieving, preparing for death or just intrigued by what their options are.

Sue, from Chesterfield, is giving up her role as director of White Media, where she has helped to organise 20 wedding fairs a year across the East Midlands and North of England, to focus on the new magazine.

She has also spent five years producing regional title White Weddings Magazine, which is sold at 370 independent outlets, including John Lewis and Debenhams.

Sue said: “I have spent the majority of my planning career working in the weddings industry, which is very much about planning the happiest day of someone’s life. But when I lost my own dear dad I realised that as a nation we are totally unprepared for what can be the saddest day of our lives.

“Because we don’t talk about death, or funerals, when it comes to planning a loved one’s send-off often we have no idea what they might have wanted, or how to go about organising it.

“I felt there was a total lack of information about palliative care, funeral planning and memorial ideas and that it was about time we started talking about dying, instead of pretending that it’s not going to happen. Death is inevitable, yet few of us consider it until confrontation is absolutely unavoidable.

“I also felt it was time to lift the lid on the funeral industry – let’s find out what’s changing, what’s innovative and above all what options are available to us when the time comes.”

The first issue looks at the process of turning ashes into diamonds, introduces motorcycle funerals, explains what to do when someone dies and pays tribute to an inspirational seven-year-old who touched the hearts of his community.

Farewell Magazine, which will have an initial circulation of 20,000 and a cover price of £3.95, will be stocked at more than 120 branches of WH Smith and be available in more than 3,000 funeral homes, crematoriums and cemeteries.