Art of stone
Ever heard of Joss Nankoo? No, I hadn’t either. You have now. He’s a stonemason and lettercutter. Here at the GFG we revere lettercutters. And we love lovely human beings. Joss is both. You can see that. At around twice the price of machine-carved shiny Chinese granite you can buy something bespoke from Joss. You […]
It’s what they don’t tell you
Two questions sent by the GFG to Nottinghamshire CC registrars on 30 Jan 2014. The first relates to the marketing of Notts CC civil celebrants. The second relates to the proposed ‘Living Eulogy’ service as outlined here. Question 1 In your bereavement guide you advertise (pp 25 28) the services of your in-house funeral celebrants. In the text there is […]
When the tide of opinion turns
“Afore ye go.” Remember the slogan? You will if you’re old enough. It spoke to us oldies (Scots: auldies) from billboards everywhere, advertising Bell’s whisky. It echoed the invitation offered as a matter of course in those days to every dinner guest or pub boozer when they announced they were going home: “One for the road?” […]
Memorials move out of the graveyard and into the home – the rebirth of family heirlooms?
Posted by Kate Semple We are all, of course, unique and completely different from one and other. So as a sculptor working in stone who is passionate about creating original, bespoke art, I recently asked myself why after death the favoured physical reminder of a loved one had to be an inscribed stone slab – destined […]
Making A List
By MC After extensive research I have the definitive answer to list-making for funerals. Maybe not, but I have cast my mind back over the several hundreds of funerals at which I have officiated and celebranted. I have concluded that the making of detailed lists is rare. Usually a person’s funeral wishes consist of one […]
Would you ever marry them?
We are pleased to publish the email below, which raises a potentially interesting point of discussion. The name of the sender has, with our agreement, been redacted. Dear Charles I read with interest yesterday’s blog about the Funeral Director who has diversified into organising other ‘life events’. I can’t for the life of me decide […]
Man for all seasons
“No fuss? You’re absolutely sure about that? You’ve taken into account the emotional needs and expectations of your family and friends? … Yes, we have our simple package. Yes, if you’re sure it’s right for you we can do that for one nine nine five all inclusive.” I am sipping tea in the office of […]
Not in front of the children
The information revolution has done huge damage to the funeral industry. Recent TV exposés of goings on behind the scenes in a Co-operative Funeralcare and a Funeral Services Partnership mortuary went viral when they aired and endure in the public memory. That the NAFD did not, in the aftermath, suspend or expel FSP called into […]
Empower the bereaved and they’re a joy to work with
Once in a while we get to hear what a difference the GFG has made to people – especially since we upped the amount of info we offer on our website. We’ve recently added heaps of helpful, informative documents that people can download. It’s proving very popular. When a family organising a funeral decide exactly […]
Snowy Conditions on the way home from Stockport
Another adventure from the Vintage Lorry Hearse Last February, during the wintery conditions that gripped the U.K., Vintage Lorry Funerals was booked for a funeral in Stockport. The advice from the Police was that you should not venture out on the roads where problems with snow and ice existed throughout Britain. However, David Hall, who […]
