St. Margaret’s Hospice Funerals
It’s here! Today’s the day that the first Hospice Funerals branch in the UK opens for business. The people of Taunton have been watching the refurbishment of the former charity shop over the last few weeks, as the grey paint (not dark and forbidding) was applied to the exterior and the shiny new furnishings […]
Harrison Funeral Home
It’s always sad to hear that an independently owned funeral business has been sold to one of the big three corporate chains. It’s even more so when the company concerned is one that has been on the Good Funeral Guide ‘Recommended’ list for years. So when we were told by a third party this weekend […]
Another year older and closer to death..
So that was 2017, over and done with. It was quite a year in Funeralworld. We lost one of the brightest stars, the founder of the Death Cafe movement, Jon Underwood, who died on 27th June 2017, tragically young at 44. Jon’s legacy is not only his two beautiful children, but the continuing spread of Death […]
Disingenuous? Really?
Predictably, the Good Funeral Guide’s recent decision to take a public stance on our misgivings about the wisdom of UK hospices engaging in the Hospice Funerals franchise opportunity has not been welcomed by the parties involved in this venture. We have been described as ‘disingenuous’, ‘concerned with protecting the commercial interests of those who […]
To the trustees of all hospices in the UK
Last weekend, we despatched letters to the boards of trustees of every hospice in the UK to share our concerns about the new franchise offer that was launched at the Hospices UK conference the previous week. Our misgivings about this venture are shared by a number of individuals and companies who gave permission for […]
An open letter to the National Association of Funeral Directors
This afternoon an e-mail was sent to all members of the National Association of Funeral Directors announcing that Mandie Lavin, the CEO appointed just under 15 months ago, is no longer employed by the Association. No explanation has been given for her abrupt departure, but as the current President steps in to take the reins […]
Look what’s cooking.
There’s something afoot in funeral world. Letters have been pinging into the inbox of funeral directors around the country advising them of a shiny new entrant into the world of undertaking. “Over the next few days you may read about a new funeral company called Hospice Funerals LLP. It has been set up by St […]
The lion rampant?
Editor’s note: We received this blog post from Mark and publish it as we feel it raises matters of great concern to funeral consumers and practitioners alike. Out of courtesy, we provided the NAFD with an advance copy and invited them to comment. We were advised that their legal team required several statements made by […]
Lifetime Achievement Award 2017
A stellar line up of well known names in the funeral world comprised this year’s shortlist for the lifetime achievement award, all of whom merited a mention for the work that they have done in their field. Natasha Bradshaw, Superintendent and General Registrar from Mortlake Crematorium and specifically for her role in the joint working […]
The ‘What To Do With The Ashes’ Award 2017
Introduced for the first time in 2017, this category had six shortlisted candidates, all of whom offer alternative solutions to the perennial question of what to do with the ashes. The runner up in this category was chosen for their personal involvement and artistry in creating bespoke funerary urns with input from families, resulting in […]
