One of the many consequences of Covid-19 is that it has forced many of us to face up to our mortality. Reading about rocketing daily death tolls and learning that even healthy young people can succumb to the virus has been a stark reminder of life’s fragility.

But according to East Lothian-based entrepreneur Sheila Hogan, death is something that we should all be discussing far more frequently. 

When her father passed away six years ago, Sheila realised how little she knew about his final wishes – not even the details of what he wanted to wear in his coffin.

“I didn’t know what my dad wanted,” she explains, “and I tortured myself for about three days going through his wardrobe, trying to figure out whether he would want to look smart in a jacket or casual in a cardigan.”

The only clues that Sheila had were contained in her dad’s old biscuit tin, where he had stored some documents, insurance policies and his will. 

But what was less clear was which songs he would have wanted at his funeral, or what bank accounts and utility bills would need to be closed by his family. 

Even two years after he died, Sheila was still sorting out small details, after discovering her dad still had a Reader’s Digest subscription that needed cancelled. The idea of sorting these issues before, and not after someone’s death, was what sparked the creation of Sheila’s ‘Biscuit Tin’ business.

Biscuit Tin offers clients the chance to store all the key details of their life in an online ‘vault’: social media accounts, mortgage documents, marriage certificates, funeral plans, intentions regarding organ donation, even what should happen to a beloved pet. 

There is also a facility to store memories or messages for a nominated family member to access after you’ve gone. 

And although it was the passing of her father that inspired Sheila to set up Biscuit Tin, she believes people of all ages should start planning for death.

“We’ve definitely seen a greater interest in doing this kind of preparation since the pandemic began. But the challenge is getting the word out there. Our vision is that going forward, this level of planning becomes the norm – that everyone has a biscuit tin.

“We plan everything to the smallest detail these days: weddings, birthday parties, but when it comes to a massive event – dying – we just put our heads in the sand and pretend it’s never going to happen. 

“And then we are just leaving a mess for whoever is left behind.”

Those who want to start a Biscuit Tin account can either sign up for a free plan, which allows for storage of up to ten items, or an unlimited version where users pay an annual fee of £49. 

But for Sheila, Biscuit Tin has become her vocation as much as her business.

“This is my passion, to make a difference for other people. 

“If my dad had had a Biscuit Tin account, then I wouldn’t have gone through that unnecessary hassle and stress. 

“I wouldn’t want anyone to be in the position that I was in. All these decisions that you have to make, they all come at a time when you are already emotionally distressed, and so they feel much more difficult.”

Sheila’s ultimate aim, of making death planning ‘the new normal’, has been helped along thanks to an award of nearly £50,000 of funding from Innovate UK. 
The prize, given for “business-led innovation in response to global disruption”, was launched to support companies that helped an  emerging need of society following the coronavirus pandemic.

And with so much of our world changing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sheila hopes that creating an open, honest, conversation about death can be at least one thing that changes for the better.