Stories

Opting for the eco choice

As many consumers focus on green living and reducing their carbon footprint, it’s only natural that we’re seeing an increase in eco-funerals. Gareth Coles, director of Coles Funeral Directors, discusses the latest options available and why more of us should consider offering more green options.

Murdered girl rememberee 100 years on

A memorial service was held at a Greater Manchester cemetery 100 years on from the murder of a 12-year-old girl.

Purr-fect send off: Paddy the Chief Moggy Mourner

Paddy, an eight-year-old ginger tom cat, is laying claim to the title of Chief Moggy Mourner, as he’s thought to have attended more than 100 funerals over the years.

Black Country funeral director in Parliamentary Review

Funeral director H. Porter & Sons from Stourbridge has appeared in the 2019 Parliamentary Review, a key business publication that celebrates innovation and acts as a useful guide to industry for policymakers.

Melia Powell welcome new man with cabaret

A charity cabaret and dinner dance marked Melia Powell Funeral Directors’ ongoing commitment to the local community following the appointment of a new experienced funeral director.

Total job satisfaction for embalming duo

Embalmers Vicki Nation and Gaynor Nevitt are often the last people to care for the deceased. And it’s a role the friends regard as a huge privilege, they tell Sharon Barnard

Historic Kenilworth memorial is restored

A Kenilworth memorial to 17th century paupers is back on Warwick Road after being removed and restored by Henry Ison & Sons Funeral Directors.

Winners announced at National Celebrants' Awards

Highgate House near Northampton proved a popular venue for this year’s National Celebrants’ Convention and Awards Dinner, with celebrants from across the UK in attendance, writes Russ Bravo.

Finance to help your business grow

The beginning of September saw a double celebration at Funeral Director Finance. Not only was it director Iain Dangerfield’s big 50, it was also a celebration of 30 years working in the banking and finance sector.

Scotland: Fosters pick up two awards

Fosters Family Funeral Directors has picked up two honours at the inaugural Scottish Funeral Awards.

Barrow boys turn back the clock

Toby Angel, Managing Director of Sacred Stones Ltd, tells Sharon Barnard how his business is helping to meet the growing demand for barrows as final resting places for cremation ashes

Plans to improve crematoria checks accelerate

At this year’s Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities (FBCA) conference Kate Davidson from The Crematoria and Memorial Group (CMG) set out the progress of an industry initiative that seeks to strengthen inspection procedures in the crematoria sector, replacing the previous informal audit process.

Wales: opportunity to "shape Medical Examiner Service"

Dr Jason Shannon has been appointed Lead Medical Examiner for Wales.

More than a job: new man heads up Albert Marsh

Highly experienced funeral director Jon Rust – who joined the profession after a family tragedy – has been appointed manager of Albert Marsh Funeral Directors in Wareham and Upton.

Dr Bill Webster receives British Citizen’s Award

For more than 35 years Dr Bill Webster has built a strong reputation for his work on grief and bereavement, presenting many seminars and providing grief support resources across the country. Now, he has received a special British Citizen Award (BCAh for services to healthcare) in recognition of his efforts.

Is social media the future of grief?

Traditionally if a loved one passes away; we send a sympathy card to their family, writes Sarah Seaton. But these days, in the age of social media, we see an increasing number of public Facebook messages on people's profiles for grieving friends and relatives.

Card game helps people talk about death

A new card game launched by Huunuu is helping people have important conversations about death, dying and funerals.

Good Funeral Awards 2019: who are you nominating?

The AGFD Good Funeral Awards will be held this year at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve in Hythe, Kent, on 19 October – hosted by the Association of Green Funeral Directors.

New football urn looks a winner

A stunning wooden urn made in the shape of a football is proving a winner for Colourful Coffins.

Lancs awards go to Champs

Champ Funeral Services in Clayton-Le-Moors, Accrington, Lancashire, landed two major awards in the 2019 Hyndburn Business Awards.

Boot Hill – the cowboys' final resting place

If you trawl back through old Western movies, you will inevitably come across Boot Hill.

Queen breaks Royal tradition

Her Majesty the Queen was due to break royal tradition earlier this month by attending the funeral of one of her most loyal and long-serving members of staff.

Dying in the Ditch: church gets people talking

Up to 20 people a month have been gathering at a local pub to talk about death and bereavement.

Stephen Brown: new independents in Blyth

Now open for business on Bridge Street in Blyth, Northumberland, are Stephen Brown Funeral Services, looking to provide a service that is professional and caring, with a friendly face.

'Grief counselling has saved my life'

A sea of sunflowers was being planted at a High Peak hospice to celebrate the memories of loved ones.

Talk to someone you can trust

You can’t care for others if you don’t look after yourself. Mental health matters acutely for funeral professionals, says Catherine Betley

Ireland: mortician to open water cremation centre

A former mortician is planning to open the first Irish facility offering water cremations, reports The Cremation Society of Great Britain newsletter.

Special opportunity to talk about death

A special event aimed at encouraging High Peak people to talk about death, dying, bereavement and loss took place at Blythe House Hospicecare in Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Forward-looking rebrand for Neville

Neville Funeral Service has revealed a new company name and branding as part of the firm’s ongoing growth and development. The 140-year-old independent family firm has eight branches across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Scattering Ashes up for family business award

Scattering Ashes business owners Karen and Richard Martin have been nominated as finalists in the South Region of the Family Business of the Year Awards.

Resting Places: St Andrews Cathedral, Fife

Relics, a dramatic setting – and a place in golfing history: the old cathedral of St Andrew in Fife, Scotland, along with its ancient graveyard, has it all ...

Plymouth event supports families affected by suicide

Around 20 Plymouth funeral directors have taken part in an event which hopes to give more guidance and support to families left grieving after their loved ones have taken their own lives.

D-Day veteran Glenville laid to rest

One of the last airborne veterans of the D-Day landings has been laid to rest, reports the BBC.

Books that help bereaved children

As a new wave of emotional wellbeing books for children hits the market, meet Clare Shaw, an author of therapeutic stories covering tricky subjects such as bereavement.

Celebrant in Sahara trek for air ambulance

An intrepid Lincolnshire funeral celebrant will be taking part in a gruelling 100-kilometre trek through the Sahara Desert to raise money for the air ambulance, reports the Rutland and Stamford Mercury.

Maori couple a Netflix hit

A Maori couple in New Zealand who felt drawn in their early 20s to start their own funeral business in the capital Auckland have become unlikely Netflix stars.

Holocaust survivors attend unknown remains burial

More than 1,000 people attended a funeral for six unknown Auschwitz victims whose remains were donated to a museum, with some 34 Holocaust survivors accompanying the casket to the burial site.

Wales: detectorist unearths Iron Age ritual haul

Parts of an Iron Age chariot found by a metal detectorist have been declared treasure by the Pembrokeshire coroner, reports the BBC.

New crematorium includes electric charging point

Westerleigh Group opened its 32nd Crematorium late last year at Fladbury near Evesham in rural Worcestersire.

Cremation Society chair to step down

Harvey Thomas CBE has announced that he will retire from the role of Chairman of the Cremation Society in July this year.

Funeral customs: Crestone, Colorado

The mountain town where open air cremation is legal, thanks to the End-of-Life Project ...

Scots encouraged to 'pay forward' a funeral

Scotland’s only charity-owned funeral director ran a Christmas fundraising campaign to support bereaved families.

Funeral sitcom Morbid pilot now online

Twelve years ago, Michael Dee wrote a sitcom set in the world of funeral directing, entitled Morbid. The independent actor, writer and filmmaker filed it away as a project for another day.

How can funeral directors help shape CMA probe?

Trudy Feaster-Gee and Richard Butterworth from Walker Morris LLP give their view

Mermaid tribute created by Brum florist

This stunning lifesize floral tribute based on Disney’s Little Mermaid was handcrafted by a florist in Birmingham.

Funeral customs: Switzerland

Throughout Europe, funeral customs differ from country to country, and Switzerland is no different to this, standing out as one of the countries with a high rate of cremation – around 80 per cent.

Dying Matters 2019 - are we ready?

For the last couple of years, Dying Matters Awareness Week has challenged us all to answer a question: What Can You Do? How can we help ourselves, or families and our communities face up to death and bereavement?

Lions launch new child bereavement resource

Crewkerne funeral director Tracey Warren from Stoodley & Son was among those invited to attend the launch of Life Changes 2, a new resource from the Lions Club aimed at funeral directors and those working with bereaved children and young people.

First female chief appointed by Central England Co-op

Central England Co-operative has announced the appointment of Debbie Robinson as the Society’s new Chief Executive – the first female Chief Executive appointed in the Society’s history.

Caledonia Cremation lands new award

The country’s only not-for-profit funeral director, Caledonia Cremation, was named “One to watch” at the UK Social Enterprise Awards in London last month.

Resting Places at Christmas: Finland

For most people, Christmas is a time to celebrate with family and friends with food and gifts. For many Finnish families visiting the local cemetery on Christmas Eve is very much a part of Christmas rituals.

School hosts sessions tackling death taboo

Youngsters in Burton have been talking to a funeral manager and a local vicar about bereavement in an effort to end the taboo around talking about dying.

Koffin start-up uses 3D printing

Liverpool start-up Koffin is using advanced material testing and 3D printing technology to help create its first batch of customisable eco-coffins, with support from business programme LCR 4.0.

50 years for fittings specialists

Flying the flag for British-made coffin handles are Herefordshire-based James and Williams Ltd, and the company celebrate 50 years involvement in the funeral industry this year.

Quarter of a century for funeral director Ruth

A Central England Co-operative Funeral Director is celebrating more than 25 years of helping families say goodbye to their loved ones.

Funeral customs: Mexico's Day of the Dead

Find out how marigolds, tequila and sea shells all have their part to play in the extraordinary riot of colour that is Mexico's Day of the Dead ...

Exploring a good death

This year’s Ideal Death Show and Good Funeral Awards, championed and organised by Brian Jenner, took place in Bournemouth. Editor Russ Bravo went along for the ride

Manchester street named after war hero

A new street in Hyde, Greater Manchester, has been named in honour of a fallen war hero killed in action in Afghanistan.

Shirley relaunch for David and team

Staff at Central England Co-op plus guests gathered recently to mark the relaunch of a funeral home in Stratford Road, Shirley in Solihull.

Hanging up his top hat after 38 years

“It all began with a phone call from my Vicar on Christmas Eve 1979,” says long-serving Funeral Director Paul Murray, who is stepping away from the industry after 38 years.

November 2019