Hundreds of people attended a highly traditional funeral last week for former Hove Mayor Leslie Hamilton at the parish church of All Saints.

They ranged from the great and the good to ordinary people he had helped during the years who wanted to pay their last respects to him.

The funeral was a moving occasion because Mr Hamilton was unusually well liked right across the political spectrum and because he was a regular churchgoer.

All the clerics who took part in the service, from the Bishop of Chichester to the Vicar of Hove, had known him personally.

I have been to other funerals which have been a hollow sham because they were conducted by priests who knew nothing of the deceased and attended by mourners who silently mouthed the words of hymns because none of them were regular churchgoers.

When Britain was a religious country, most people were christened, confirmed and married in church, so it seemed natural that funeral services should be staged there too.

But times have changed and the number of churchgoers is dwindling rapidly.

Belief in God is also declining. There are also many people from other faiths living here.

It seems silly and pointless that people who seldom if ever set foot in a church or a chapel during their lives should find themselves there for a final visit after they have died.

Yet the need to mark the death of a loved one remains as strong as ever.

You could argue it is even stronger now that so many people believe death really is the end rather than a welcome entry into eternal life.

There has been a great change in weddings during recent years with a sharp switch away from churches.

This has been accentuated by the licensing of many places other than register offices, which can be drab, for solemnising marriages.

In Brighton alone you can get married in the Pavilion, on the Palace Pier or in some of the big hotels while there are castles and stately homes up and down the country where you can get married in style.

It is taking far longer for changes to be made in the way in which we mark death because relatives are often in a state of shock and usually prepared to take the often conventional advice of family funeral directors.

But fashions change even in funerals and I have noticed a trend during recent years to make them celebrations of the life rather than simply regret the loss.

Even Les Hamilton requested there should be no tears at his funeral, while increasingly the favourite music of the deceased is being played instead of Chopin's funeral march or solemn hymns.

There is also a move among those who are determinedly non-religious to dispense with the farce of having ministers involved, replacing them with friends or relatives able to speak eloquently and elegantly.

I see no reason why the ceremony should be held for these people in a church or chapel at all.

How much better to stage these celebrations of life at friendly venues, such as a pub or club known and well liked by the dead people and those who loved them.

Changes could even take place to the still extremely formal death notices in the Argus and other newspapers.

Instead of the usual words when I depart, I trust someone will have the courage to insert the truth which could be something like "noisily at his home after a short illness, badly borne, and not before time.........."

The final resting place does not have to be in a graveyard either.

Many people prefer to have their ashes scattered at places they enjoy such as on the downs or the sea.

Instead of flowers which wither fast, a memorial such as a bench or donation to charity would have more lasting benefits.

There will always be a place for traditional funerals but I fancy in 50 years' time they will be a rarity with many ceremonies swinging rather than solemn.

Increasingly when the last trumpet sounds, people will hear jazz and joy rather than prayers and pious thoughts.